Only two Old Goa monuments feature in draft coastal plan

Panaji: With the draft coastal zone management plan (

CZMP

) showing just two

monuments

of Old Goa — the church of St Cajetan and Viceroy’s Arch, citizens and others have demanded correction of this glaring omission and other errors.

The former capital, now a popular tourist and pilgrimage destination with a cluster of churches, convents and other heritage edifices, has 14 centrally-protected and seven state-protected monuments in the coastal plan area. A few monuments are part of the world heritage site.

“According to CZMP guidelines, protected monuments and sites should be marked as part of coastal regulations zone (CRZ) 1,” said social activist Glean Cabral.

Among the state-protected monuments, St Peter’s church at Bainguinim and Casa de Polvora at Panelim, along the River Mandovi, are missing.

“Our 478-year-old church is not marked as a heritage site. Church property on the river banks is marked port limit, which will violate church sanctity,” said parish priest Fr Pascoal Colaco in a memorandum to Goa coastal zone management authority (GCZMA).

The hazard line intersects six monuments and marking them is important. “In fact, it is important that all 21 protected and other unprotected heritage sites be shown on this plan,” Cabral stated in his plea to GCZMA.

The unprotected sites, such as the outer fortification wall through Corlim, Carambolim and other places, the inner fortification wall, Our Lady of Piety, Panelim, Bala Bhim Mandir and Vithal Mandir deserve protection for their cultural, heritage and aesthetic value, heritage experts say.

A few jetties in Ella and Bainguinim need to be categorized as per their use — river nagivation, industrial and private. “These three activities have extremely different uses, and each will impact coastal management differently,” architect Tahir Noronha stated in his memorandum.

Issues related to faulty depiction of mangroves, khazan lands, high tide line and port limits have also been raised in the memoranda.


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