Heritage pushback for Old Goa police station project

Panaji: Activists have flagged govt’s plan to reconstruct Old Goa’s police station as a ground-plus-two structure in the buffer zone of the world heritage site. They have stated that construction of the project will impact the sanctity and ambience of the historic place.

A site with a small area cannot accommodate a police station to cater to two constituencies, they’ve said while suggesting that govt consider an alternative place for the police station in order to safeguard the Unesco designated site.

“Renovation of the police station is okay, but construction as planned will add to traffic congestion at the spot,” Jacquelin Fernandes of the Save Old Goa Action Committee told reporters.

The committee has petitioned the chief minister to reconsider the plan in the buffer zone, stating that they have, in the past, submitted memoranda opposing projects detrimental to the world heritage site. One of them was a petition signed by more than 34,000 persons that pressed for proper planning at Old Goa.

Another local activist, Glean Cabral has stated that the construction would fall within 300m of the regulated zone of the Bom Jesus basilica. The monument is governed under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, as amended in 2010. Pursuing the project would be in breach of the Act and rules. Under Section 20D(2) of the Act, ‘heritage bylaws’ must regulate all construction. But to date, no bylaws have been finalised for any monument in Old Goa, despite the Act and rules coming into force from 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Further, the basilica has been facing several problems due to dampness caused by waterlogging. The project, with its plans for excavation, may irreversibly impact the local drainage flow, the activist said in his plea to govt.

He further cautioned about the height of the proposed structure in this area, stating that approval to such a tall building would have an abrupt impact on the area’s architectural character, and would also set a dangerous precedent in the heritage zone, opening the doors for other similar scale private projects in future.