NT Reporter
Vasco
Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a letter to South Goa Member of Parliament Viriato Fernandes, said that it is now the responsibility of the state departments concerned to superimpose Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) data onto Goa’s Regional Plan to ensure proper regulation and planning around protected monuments.
Shekhawat said that the matter had been examined in consultation with ASI, which has prepared Survey Plans for 17 monuments.
“These plans clearly establish the protected, prohibited and regulated areas,’ he said.
The Survey Plans have been shared with the Chief Town Planner, Goa, and the matter has been incorporated and notified in the Gazette of Goa by the Town and Country Planning Department.
Fernandes had written to the Union Minister detailing violations in heritage zones and difficulties faced by residents living near these areas.
He not only sought clear demarcation of buffer zones around Goa’s 21 national monuments but also insisted these zones be incorporated into the state’s Regional Plan.
