from Rubiya Shaikh
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (SP)
Panaji, Sep 12: Goa Heritage Action Group(GHAG), working for the past eight years for the protection of Goa's cultural, architectural and natural heritage, has raised strong objections to the deletion of 13 monuments and sites from the list of protected monuments vide the government of Goa gazette dated August 14, 2008.
"The disappearance of these sites is mysterious. What is more striking, is that out of 14 monuments, nine are in the mining zones," Roboni Saha, member of the GHAG, a group active in preserving state's heritage, told reporters here.
The group, which has cited the slip in the state government's notification issued on August 14 as very serious, is apprehensive, that the prevailing ban on mining activities surrounding these sites, might have forced the state government to delete them from the list.
Goa has a robust iron ore mining industry and this tiny state has been India's largest iron ore exporter.
The Goa Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1978 and rules, 1980 bans mining activity 300 metres around the heritage sites.
The heritage activists are worried, as of the nine structure, some including Paleolithic caves in Shigao, 11th century old Narayandeo temple in Vichundrem, ancient rock art heritage site at Pansalimal, another rock art site at Cajur, Surla-Tar Masjid and Siddheshwar cave at surla are bang in the mining zone, where extensive iron ore extraction is on.
"How can the officials miss on such a large number of monuments, when they have a full-fledged department working for the purpose?," Saha questioned.
The archives and archeology department, however, has clarified, that they have neither deleted nor denotified any of these sites. "What GHAG objects to, is the notification issued by the town and country planning department. There may be some errors in it. We have not denotified anything and have no intention of doing so at least for the next three to four years," Manohar Dicholkar, director, state Archives and Archeology department, stated.
The GHAG honorary secretary Heta Pandit stated, that this is for the first time that major lapses in the notification, which was hurriedly issued a little before the state legislative assembly session last month, have been observed.
"These sites are not denotified. If the state government intends to denotify, they have to issue separate notification and even in the list of protected monuments, they have mentioned the monuments that are denotified," Pandit noted.
The group members are trying to find out the reasons behind this massive deletion, because it is a matter of some curiosity, he added.
The group has sent in their objections to the town and country planning department, department of archives and archeology minister, Antanasio (Babush Monseratte), chief minister Of Goa, chief secretary and the opposition leader Mahohar Parrikar.
The Group has written to the state archeology and archives minister Atanasio Monserratte to look into the matter.
"There are large number of heritage monuments which are facing the neglect. We have failed to save these testimonials of our glorious past and if we keep on deleting whatever we have listed, there will be nothing left for future," Prajal Sakhardade, historian and writer, stated.
The activists pointed out, that the place where the first statue of Buddha was found is also deleted from the list. "Now, a highway runs over the place, making the excavation there a remote possibility," Pandit said.