PANJIM: The State government appointed Expert Committee, to scrutinize and recommend the sites and shrines, destroyed during the erstwhile colonial Portuguese rule, for restoration, has been granted time till December 31, to submit its report.
The five-member committee, chaired by Varsha V Kamat from the department of history, Ponda Education Society’s Ravi S Naik College of Arts and Science, Farmagudi, set up in January 2023, was supposed to submit its report within 30 days.
In a notification issued on June 2, Director of Archaeology Nilesh Fal Dessai said that ex-post facto approval of the Government is accorded to extend the time for Expert Committee to submit the report with the recommendation of sites for reconstruction of temples from February 12 to December 31, 2023.
“The Expert Committee shall submit interim report of the findings from time to time,” he said.
According to the sources, the committee has already submitted a preliminary report.
The Committee had sought for additional time to study the sites in detail and submit its recommendation.
The government has received total of 19 applications, one pertaining to the reconstruction of a mosque, while the majority is from temple committees or NGOs. The Chief Minister has made a budgetary provision of Rs 20 crore, this financial year, to undertake construction of these temples.
The scope of work of the committee includes scrutinising applications along with documentation and evidence received by the department of archaeology and verifying the archival sources available at the Department of Archives and elsewhere.
The committee will also consider proposals out of their knowledge of archival sources. The committee will consider folk beliefs/stories and other oral sources of history for cross-verification of evidence. The committee will also study, examine and scrutinise applications that may come before the department of archaeology in due course of time.