That building is the old municipal council of Salcete, the site where centuries ago the men who directed the affairs of the ‘concelho’ met, discussed and directed the works to be undertaken, and more than any other structure in Margao needs to be renovated and preserved.
“This is one of the most prominent and historic edifices in Margao. If there is one building that is a frontline candidate for preservation it is this building. Though it is privately owned, the government should take up its restoration and preservation,” says Valmiki Faleiro, a writer who lives in the area.
He explains that the building was originally constructed by the government in the 18th century and remained with the government till it was sold in the early 20th century when the municipality was moved to the present building situated in the then emerging area of Margao.
It is also the site where on September 21, 1890, the Portuguese massacred 23 persons who had gathered there to vote in the elections. The then Portuguese governor Vasco Guedes, upset that Cristovão Pinto, candidate of the Partido Indiano (PI) had been elected to represent Goa in the Cortes (then Portuguese royal court), dissolved the municipal council of Salcete in April 1890 and set a new date for the elections to the municipal council and in defiance the Partido Indiano nominated all those who had been members of the previous council that had been dissolved by the governor.
The election, a straight fight between the Partido Indiano, which was in opposition to the government, and the Partido Ultramarino backed by the Portuguese, saw supporters of the Partido Indiano throng the municipal building opposite the Church of the Holy Spirit to vote for their candidates.
Guedes, fearing that Partido Indiano would sweep the polls, ordered the troops to fire upon the crowd, which led to the death of 23 persons and injuries to some 500 others.
Historian Claude Saldanha describes the incident thus: “Violence reached its climax when 23 members of Partido Indiano, as the Goa Liberals were by then called, were shot in front of the parish church at Margao on 21st September, 1890. The leader of the party was the great José Inácio de Loyola.”
Dr Carmo Azevedo, who bases his conclusion on a drawing of the incident that was discovered at an old book store in Lisbon writes: “The drawing shows how a Christian woman was hit by a bullet while getting out of the church after communion, a Kunbi woman killed apparently after having bought some medicine in Nuno Alvares’ drug store and Ponciano de Albuquerque who lost his life while standing in front of the house belonging to José Filipe Álvares.”
The Álvares family house, today shuttered up, proudly retains holes created in its facade from bullets fired by Portuguese soldiers. Two bullet holes on the facade of the house have been preserved by the family, and around it the date 21-9-1890 has been inscribed.
‘Massacre in Margao’ a graphic book published on the events of that day and later, by Cinnamon Teal, tells that the incident was reported across the world including in newspapers in the UK, USA and Australia.
“We published this book to educate people on the local history. It was also meant to be a point of discussion on aspects of other local leaders. This incident was a galvanizing point for Margao,” says Leonard Fernandes, publisher of Cinnamon Teal.
There have been moves to preserve this building that was constructed in 1778. A group of Margao residents had even formed a group called ‘Save Margao Heritage Movement’ to take up the issue.
“Land Acquisition is always a time consuming process. After personal follow up it has reached this stage. We even had a sitting with the owner, trying to explore possibility of avoiding the process. A little extra effort from the council would have been of great advantage,” says Savio Coutinho, former MMC mayor, “But since initially we had heard about certain representatives having vested interests, as such we don’t expect much from them. Our efforts will continue till we achieve success.”
And despite efforts, the building still awaits restoration.
