Daijiworld Media Network- Porvorim

Porvorim, Mar 7: The Dev Shri Khapreshwar Temple Committee has strongly asserted that any decision regarding the reconstruction of the temple, which was demolished for the elevated corridor project in Porvorim, must be discussed with committee members and locals before responding to the government.

Speaking at a press conference in Socorro on Thursday, Temple Committee President Kartik Kudnekar clarified that none of the individuals who met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant alongside Tourism Minister and Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte were members of the Khapreshwar Temple committee.

“We appreciate the chief minister’s assurance that the new Khapreshwar temple will be built close to the old shrine. However, the final location must be discussed with committee members and the local community before a response is given to authorities,” Kudnekar stated.

Kudnekar further denied signing any consent for the demolition of the Khapreshwar temple, clarifying that his consent was only for the construction of the flyover.

“I am not against the development of Porvorim, but I never agreed to the demolition of the temple. I have served the devasthan for years—how could I ever take such a decision?” Kudnekar questioned.

He revealed that he had even approached Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister & North Goa MP Shripad Naik, urging them to save the temple.

Advocate Shankar Phadte, representing the Khapreshwar temple, stated that a petition had been filed before the Supreme Court by 12 private petitioners regarding the construction of the six-lane elevated corridor in Porvorim.

However, private parties had later reached an out-of-court settlement, and the Supreme Court did not issue any demolition order.

“The consent terms only mentioned that structures within a 25-metre right-of-way of the highway would be removed. Nowhere was the demolition of Khapreshwar temple mentioned,” Phadte asserted.

He added that the Public Works Department (PWD) did not serve any demolition order to the temple authorities.

Phadte expressed shock over the demolition process, questioning its urgency.

“The temple was outside the 25-metre right-of-way limit. If an order had been served, I would have immediately approached the Supreme Court for relief. What was the hurry to demolish the shrine?” he asked.

Kudnekar reiterated that none of the individuals who met CM Pramod Sawant and Minister Rohan Khaunte were members of the temple committee.

He clarified that the official Khapreshwar Temple Committee members include:

• Kartik Kudnekar (president)

• Savlo Falkar (secretary)

• Sandeep Kauthankar (treasurer)

• Nagesh Dadmani, Prakash Walke, Maruti Nanhore, Nirmala Thakur, Nitesh Parsekar, Vasudev Chari, and Subhash Sahni (members)

The committee remains firm that the reconstruction site must be finalized only after discussions with stakeholders.