PANJIM: Save Old Goa Action Committee (SOGAC) on Thursday demanded a heritage master plan for the historic city of Old Goa with all infrastructures and that it be included in the Regional Plan (RP) 2021.
Addressing the media, SOGAC Co-coordinator Peter Viegas said that the historic site has three main phases in the cultural evolution of Goa – the Kadambas, Adil Shah and Portuguese. He said, “We realise its importance and the need for protection and development as a heritage site of relevance not just to Goa but to the world community but sadly we see that the site is being damaged irreversibly with a boomingconstruction around the area.”
He added, “We have written several letters to the chief minister and other authorities in the last five years, but have received no positive response. Therefore we request the authorities to look into the matter and work out on the long awaited master plan on war footing, before more irreversible damage is caused to the site.”
He said that the ongoing feast is a good opportunity to study and prepare a master plan for the future decennial exposition and annual feast of St Francis Xavier as the people face difficulties.
“The area in the Mass pandal surface is uneven with footpaths and surrounded by compound wall and the fair with unregulated stalls with narrow paths. Whether a disaster management plan has been made to tackle around 5 lakh people in the any emergency and in the event of a stampede who will take responsibility, the fair vendors use all facilities of the church as there is no facility for them and the parking area is more than a kilometer away from the church and people, especially senior citizens, find it difficult,” he said.
“The existing road between the Bom Jesus Basilica and Se Cathedral should be closed permanently for traffic as new bypass road is constructed and even Manohar Parrikar had promised us to close down this road but nothing is done,” he added.
SAGOC has demanded a master plan with demarcation of 14 ASI protected monuments, eight state protected monuments and also removing all illegal constructions.
