Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa government has implemented stricter regulations to safeguard its heritage and will now impose a fine of Rs 50,000 on people who film any protected monument or site owned by the State without taking the requisite permissions and paying fees.
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The state has 51 monuments listed under its protection and an additional 21 overseen by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The changes are part of the Goa Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Rules, 2024, recently notified by the Department of Archaeology. The draft rules were opened for public suggestions earlier this year in February.
“Any act of filming or copying a protected monument in violation of the rules or without proper permissions will attract a fine of Rs 50,000 for sites owned by the government and Rs 20,000 for other protected monuments,” stated Nilesh Fal Dessai, Director of Archaeology, in the official notification.
For those seeking permission, the rules outline specific fees. Filming at government-protected monuments requires Rs 25,000 per day along with a refundable security deposit of Rs 10,000. At other protected sites, the daily fee is Rs 10,000 with a refundable deposit of Rs 2,000.
The process involves submitting an application under Rule 39 and paying the stipulated fees.
If the Director is satisfied that the proposed activity will not harm the site, a license in Form X will be issued. However, the rules also empower the Director to deny or restrict filming during specific periods or under circumstances deemed necessary to protect the monument.
According to the govt, these measures are intended to help preserve Goa’s rich cultural and archaeological heritage while allowing regulated filming activities at these iconic locations.
