Panaji: After opposition from the religious bodies and the opposition parties, the Goa government on Tuesday announced that the proposal to include Old Goa into a planning body has been dropped.
The Church bodies and the opposition had raised objection to inclusion of Old Goa area into Greater Panaji Planning and Development Authority (GPPDA) fearing that it will give a way for high rise buildings in the area which has several Churches notified as UNESCO heritage sites.
State Town and Country Planning Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar, in a statement relased on Tuesday evening, said that the department has studied in detail the proposal sent by Old Goa village panchayat of including some area of it under the Greater Panaji PDA.
“I have also taken into consideration the sentiments expressed by religious bodies. I have discussed the issue with CM and in order to maintain the sanctity of Shrine, came to conclusion that proposal of further extending the Kadamba Planning area need to be scrapped,” he said.
“The proposal therefore of including more area under GPPDA stands dropped,” he added.
Goa Forward Party Chief Vijai Sardesai was the first one to raise the issue after which he had even written to Union Ministry of Culture seeking their intervention to save Old Goa from converted into modern city by including it under GPPDA.
