Dear Netizens, Re : Feast of Nossa Senhora de Brotas, Church of Our Lady of Springs Anjediv Island off Canacona _____________________________________________
The Feast date is as usual Monday,2nd February The matter regarding permission to hold the Feast on the Island is yet under consideration. The ex Station Commander, Sea Bird Project Cmdr B. R Rao has since been transferred on 31st October, 2003 and the new incumbent a hydrographer Cmdr S. S Karnik, from Koondapur in Udipi District Karnataka. He was In Charge of the Hydrographic Training Institute at Vasco-da-Gama Goa before his present posting on 1st November,2003 as Commander Sea Bird Project. . Following a report sent by the erstwhile Station Commander Cmdr B. R. Rao to the Defence Ministry stating that "A DOZAN TEMPLES HAVE BEEN SHIFTED FROM THE ISLAND TO THE MAINLAND " the Defence Minister Mr George Fernandes replied vide letters dated 25.9.2002 29.4.2003 and 19.7.2003 respectively to both the Chief Minister of Goa Mr Manohar Parrikar and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Ms Sonia Gandhi in reply to their letters that in view of the observations above " WE NEED TO FOLLOW AN UNIFORM POLICY TOWARDS PEOPLE OF ALL RELIGIOUS FAITHS" which literally meant that access to the Island is not possible at all after the letter of the station Commander dated 4.7.2002 that all permission will be banned after May 2003. Now after the completion of the North break water (and sensitive facilities alleged to being installed there ) access to the island is easy i.e by walk just four kms from Binaga shore which in turn is 3 kms from Karwar bus terminus by autorickshaw shared costing Rs.20/- one way. This writer interacted telephonically with ex Station Commander,Cmdr Mr B. R. Rao on 3.10.2003 AND also visited the Sea Bird for the 4th time on 4.10.2003 the Feast of St Francis de Assisi whose chapel on the Island is now in ruins and ascertained that there was only ONE temple on the landside viz Somnath temple which was rased to the ground near the Entrance Gate of the Sea Bird Project at Killebag near Binaga Karwar and a new one erected a little beyond. The others were small "ghumties" In anycase that was the understanding with the Govt of Karnataka the local people and the Sea Bird authorities. This nails the lie of the Station Commander Cmdr B R Rao. Unfortunately before he could reply back he was transfered to New Delhi on 31.10.2003. However the Union Defence Minister Mr George Fernandes during his visit to Goa on 4.11.2003 was given a representation a) stating the above facts b) it was mentioned that the Anjediv Island is still under the Goa Government as "CEDING of territorial LAND from one State to another (viz Karnataka) or the Central Government " can be done only by an Act of Parliament and this has not been done till date c) that in BOTH the transfer orders issued by the Goa Government dated 8.12.1987 and 26.7.1989 signed by the Collector South Goa District Mr A Venkatratnam (now Secretary to the Governor of Goa) it was clearly stated that "THE NAVY SHOULD ALLOW ON THE ISLAND ( area 37,005 Ha Canacona Taluka) the customary feast of both St Francis de Assisi and Nossa Senhora de Brotas on 4th Oct and 2nd February" There has been a studied silence from the Defence Ministry since then despite reminders. In fact TWO additional reasons for the breach of this understanding and confusion confounded are a) the statement of the Leader of the Opposition Mr Pratapsing Raoji Rane made in August 2002 in the Goa Legislative Assembly that the temples were shifted from the Island; which only lent credence to the ex Station Commander Cmdr B R Rao's misrepresentation of facts to the Defence Minister; b) the Archbishop of Goa & Daman, His Grace Dr Raul N Gonsalves under whose jurisdiction the Anjediv Island falls in,has been merely paying lip sympathy instead of a dealing with a frim hand with the Navy and demanding from them that they honour the agreement. It is the same neglect that has resulted in the ruination of the St Francis de Assisi Chapel on the Island. The Diocesan Centre for Social Communication Media Fr Olavo Velho Pereira had authorised the undersigned to pursue the issue but there has been studied silence from Church to date. Meanwhile the Parish Priest of St Annes Church from Binaga, Fr Britto D Silva and the undersigned have been inudated with queries from the faithful about the prospects of celebrating the Feast and as the suspense continues this writer is mailing a fresh appeal to the President of India Dr A. P. J Abdul Kalam who is on a two day State visit on 12.1.2004 and 13.1.2004 to Goa to resolve the matter and direct the Defence authorities to honour the agreement. With the 14 Lok Sabha elections likely before March 2004 and given the soft stand on Hindutva being now defined as "development" and not "Hindu fundamentalism" by the BJP President and also calling for its cadres to take into confidence the minorites as stated today at BJP convention at Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh let us expect the permission to come in the days to come. The Chief Minister Mr Manohar Parrikar will also be sent a copy of the same representation to ask the Navy to honour the Agreement. In fact at the jsut concluded Gomant Vishwa Sammelan the CM went on record as stating that getting things back from the Navy is in fact a difficult task - he was referring to the a query on why the civilian airport at Dabaolim cannot be reverted back and the Navy asked to move to Sea Bird. It may be noted that the Church at Anjediv does not have a part of the roof but concelebrated High Mass can be celebrated at short notice as the unsafe circuitious route from Karwar Ferry to the seaward side taking nearly an hour is no longer needed. There are several buses plying from Goa to Karnataka and the journey is about one and half hour to two hours from Panaji Goa . In any case the Holy Mass if held invariably commences at 11.00 a.m. and the last bus returning to Goa is at 4.30 p.m. or at 6.00 p.m. upto Canacona and one can easily catch the train from Canacona at 8.30 p.m. to Margao. The faithful desirous of ensuring that the Feast should be celebrated as usual should therefore send immediately their representations to Archbishops Palace Altinho Panaji c/o Fr Olavo Velho Pereira Diocesan Centre for Social Communication Media [EMAIL PROTECTED] with copies marked simutaneously to a) Fr Britto D Silva [EMAIL PROTECTED] b) Cmdr S S Karnik [EMAIL PROTECTED] c) Chief Minister of Goa [EMAIL PROTECTED] d) President of India [EMAIL PROTECTED] e) Governor of Goa [EMAIL PROTECTED] f) Leader of the Opposition Lok Sabha Ms Sonia Gandhi [EMAIL PROTECTED] g) Member of Parliament Mr Eduardo Shivaji Faleiro [EMAIL PROTECTED] or the undersigned Godfrey J. I. Gonsalves B-F-4 1st Floor, Hillside Apts St Joquim Road Borda P.O. Fatorda Margao Goa [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Mobile: Download the latest polyphonic ringtones. 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