PANAJI
The State government-appointed Expert Committee to scrutinise and recommend the sites and shrines destroyed during the erstwhile colonial Portuguese rule for restoration, has submitted its interim report with data of over 1,000-odd such structures.
The five-member committee, chaired by Varsha V Kamat from the department of history, Ponda Education Society’s Ravi S Naik College of Arts and Science, Farmagudi, set up in January 2023, was supposed to submit its report within 30 days. However, the committee was granted an extension till December 31.
Minister for Archaeology Subhash Phal Dessai said that the committee has submitted its preliminary report, which speaks about 1,000-odd temples and shrines that were destroyed during the erstwhile Portuguese rule.
He said that the committee is working on the final report that will consist of recommendations. “The Committee has come across more than 1,000 temples, shrines and other structures that were destroyed by Portuguese during their rule in Goa. In its initial recommendation, the Committee is of the view that it is not feasible to reconstruct all,” the Minister said.
The State government has made a budgetary provision of Rs 20 crore for the current financial year, to undertake repair and reconstruction of these temples.
Initially, when the government had urged the public to provide details, it had received a total of 19 applications, one pertaining to the reconstruction of a mosque, while the majority was from temple committees or NGOs.
Apart from scrutinising applications along with documentation and evidence received by the department, the committee was given powers to consider proposals out of their knowledge of archival sources.
