Team Herald
PANJIM: First the Se Old Goa Panchayat said it was “clueless” about the project. Now with the Church clarifying that it had not issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the controversial construction project under the central PRASAD scheme in the heritage area, the activists protesting against the tourism department initiative have asserted that an FIR should be lodged against the workers and contractors who had excavated the area and carried away suspected historical artefacts.
Speaking to O Heraldo, Peter Viegas, Coordinator of the Save Old Goa Action Committee (SOGAC), demanded a full investigation into the matter. "The government claims that the police will look into the rumours about a mall being built, but the real issue is the excavation of the area without permission from local bodies. An FIR should be filed against those who dug up the site and took away historical material," Viegas stated.
Viegas also emphasised the need to identify who authorised the excavation. "Whether they had permission or not is secondary. The key question is who allowed the excavation to occur at an ancient site? A robbery of historical artefacts has taken place, and we cannot remain silent until those items are recovered," he added.
Criticizing the role of the tourism department, Viegas claimed that local institutions were being bypassed, while the
tourism department sought permissions from central bodies.
"The tourism department is trying to encroach upon the powers of a religious institution, viewing the issue solely from a tourism perspective. Much of what is being proposed under the PRASAD scheme already exists. Instead of supporting local businesses, the plan seems aimed at creating facilities that will be handed over to outside interests focused solely on profit," Viegas explained.
Local resident Glean Cabral, a staunch advocate for preserving Old Goa’s heritage, expressed frustration over the government's approach to the project. "The authorities are making plans and consulting local bodies only afterwards," Cabral said. "This government is pushing forward with its plans, and when people oppose them, they shift the blame onto the citizens."
Cabral further criticised the government's handling of the proposed project, citing a 2020 plan to build a structure on 2,000 square metres of land. "When we opposed it, they reduced the plan to 1,000 square metres. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) shown in the Assembly was never discussed in the gram sabha," he claimed. "Now, with historical artefacts being discovered, we stand firm in our opposition to this project."
Protests over the proposed project gathered steam after cannon balls were found during excavation at the site last Saturday, prompting Archaeological Survey of India to seal the site till an evaluation is conducted to assess the historical importance of the artefacts. However, protestors under the SOGAC umbrella have been claiming that before the ASI clampdown, multiple trucks carried away artefacts from the site to an unknown location, and they have demanded that all the materials have to be returned.
South Goa MP
urges Centre
to scrap Old
Goa work
MARGAO: South Goa MP Capt Viriato Fernandes has urged the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture to halt construction activity in the Old Goa heritage zone and scrap the PRASAD scheme project.
In a letter dated March 27, 2025, Fernandes highlighted large-scale excavation at the UNESCO World Heritage site without adhering to regulations in the No Development Buffer Zone under the ASI.
Expressing concern over the distress caused to heritage lovers, villagers, and citizens, Fernandes demanded that the missing historically valuable material be located and returned to the site and that ASI restore the area and initiate an inquiry into those responsible for violating ASI regulations.
He attached letters from the Village Panchayat of Se-Old-Goa and the Save Old Goa Action Committee, along with photographs documenting the destruction at the site, to support his appeal.