CANACONA: The charge of the Portuguese-era garden of Canacona Municipal Council has been handed over to the Forest Department. Forest department has re-painted the park which was thrown open to the public last June. The park was virtually in doldrums and was completely closed during the pandemic, after which it was renovated by the Forest department.
This is the only park in the taluka and is located around the well frequented area of Chaudi market. It was inaugurated by the Assembly Speaker and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar last year after renovation and will be maintained by the Forest department workers.
“The population of Canacona is increasing and this park is inadequate for people. The municipal body should think of building a bigger park here, former Canacona chairperson Ranganath Naik Gaonkar said.
Interestingly, radio news used to be played every evening in the park since 1985 when Rajendra Desai was the chairperson. Locals would especially gather in the park to hear the news updates as it is so close to the Chaudi market. This was true testament to the susegad lifestyle that Goans were once known for. Unfortunately, this ritual of broadcasting the news everyday was stopped a few years ago.
“There is vast agricultural land close to the market at Chaudi which has been left barren for at least 25 years. The civic body could acquire one of the plots of the land and build a bigger park here, a local said.
