VASCO: Civil society members and history lovers from Mormugao taluka have demanded that Viceregal Palace situated just below the Mormugao Fort be declared as a heritage and protected site.
Unhappy with government for the neglecting the palace, they demanded that it be conserved for posterity.
Parshuram Sonurlekar of GOA First NGO said, “The NGO had moved a petition in 2018 with the Archaeology Department seeking its intervention over the negligence of MPT in maintaining this 300-year-old palace situated below the Mormugao Fort.”
“It is very sad to see the lethargic attitude of the State government in not protecting this site. The issue has been raised three times in the Assembly by three MLAs and the replies have remained the same. The Archaeology Department has not made any efforts to protect neither take legal option and has bowed down to MPT’s unwillingness to allow them carry out the site inspection,” Sonurlekar charged.
Rohan Bandekar, a history lover from Vasco said, “Although this structure has immense heritage value it cannot be visited by the general public since it is in the premises of the MPT.”
He said, “It will be nice if MPT takes up the restoration and maintenance of this heritage building under its CSR taking into confidence the Archaeology Department and make provisions to allow history and heritage lovers to visit the structure.”
