Spare religious structures from demolition: Temple committees
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, APRIL 29
Representatives of various temple committees from South Goa on Monday have urged the district collector not to raze down the religious structures identified by the authorities for demolition.
Since the district Collector G P Naik was conspicuous by his absence, the representatives entered the separated memorandums in his office for appropriate action.
In its memorandum, the Shree Rayeshwar Saunstha, Raia maintained that the Temple at Raia does not come in the way of the broadening of the Margao-Borim highway nor is disturbing any other developmental work of the government.
“This Temple is not just a religious structure, but a centre of worship, where people from the village come together on different occasions, sing Bhajans, perform Aartis, perform cultural programs etc. This is a place where harmonious relations and a sense of unity grow among the villagers”, the Temple committee maintained, while requesting the district Magistrate not to take any extreme action on the temple and help them in regularizing the construction in the interest of the villagers of Raia and Camurlim.
Incidentally, the committee members pointed out that the silver jubilee of the Saustha was celebrated on March 8, 1997.
A representative of The Temple located at Housing Board, Gogol Ramdas Naik said the religious structure had been standing on the open space for the last 20 years and felt that the government should bestow it the legal status for regularization.
“This religious structure was earlier standing as a ghumti, but was later built into a Temple by the government. The government should regularize the Temple and bestow it with legal status”, he demanded.
He said the representatives of various Temple committee had come to meet the collector following a call given by the Hindu Janjagran Samiti.
Memorandum was also submitted by the Shree Muskardev Jagrut Devasthan, Muxer-Velim. In the memorandum, Devastahan president Sandeep Tari said people in the area have deep sense of faith in God Muskardev and is considered as Rakhandar of the entire village of Muxer, Velim.
