---
Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment
and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further
environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa
http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php
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Dear Heta and Goa Heritage Action Group,
We have received this mail and it seems like a very worthwhile initiative.
We can support you to reach out to over 2 million www.idishoom.com
subscribers which comprises of concerned citizens across the globe and
nation. We have discussed this with our founder Jeroninio Almeida and he and
our Executive Founding Director Ms. Meenu Chopra have consented to support
this with our infrastructure and network.
Best
Meghna
Office of the Founder and Just Another Volunteer- Jeroninio Almeida
- Original Message -
From: Goanet Reader goanetrea...@gmail.com
To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 2:55 PM
Subject: [Goanet-News] DOCUMENT: Open Letter To The Chief Minister Of Goa
OnThe Destruction Of Goa's Built Heritage (GHAG)
---
Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment
and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further
environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa
http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php
---
06 April 2010
Mr Digambar Kamat
Chief Minister
Secretariat, Government of Goa
Porvorim, Goa
Open Letter To The Chief Minister Of Goa On
The Destruction Of Goa's Built Heritage
Dear Mr Kamat,
On Saturday 27th March this year a beautiful building in
Panaji popularly known as Café Puna was demolished by its
owners with the approval and the sanction of the Government
of Goa and the Corporation of the City of Panaji.
The building was at least 70 years old and must
have taken its craftsmen and builders at least two
years to build it, decorate it and make it the
pride of the city. It was located opposite the
historic Massano da Amorim building and also
opposite the National Theatre that once had
Corinthian columns at its entrance and was also the
pride of the neighbourhood.
Café Puna was not an extraordinary building but embodied a
distinct character. It had two stories and Mangalore roof
tiles like a lot of houses in Panaji. At one time, its upper
floor verandah had wooden railings which had been
hand-crafted by Goan wood craftsmen (later these were
replaced with decorative ironwork). Its chambers contained
furniture that was either Burma teak or Indian teak wood.
Café Puna added an identity and strength to its
neighbourhood, one of the several old structures that give
Panaji its uniqueness.
But on the day and night of the 27th of March 2010, blunt
bulldozers won over the delicate tools of the Goan craftsmen.
High rise won over history.
Why did this happen, Mr Kamat? And what if it did? Apart from
a few heritage lovers of the city, does anyone care? We see
buildings like Cafe Puna (together with other lovely period
buildings in the city) as deposits of Goan craftsmanship and
culture. We remind you that there is no-one in Goa who can
build like this any more, for this was a building of beauty
and an article that shows Goan craftsmanship. These buildings
tell you the story of how people lived, how they worked, what
it meant to them to be Goan.
This is what the thoughtless demolition of Café Puna has
achieved, the loss of an example of our craft and skill. Did
you think of asking the property's new owners what exactly it
was that they had brought down? We wish to remind you that
these are not only buildings we are trying to save. These are
deposits of the city's history. It pains us that the absence
of laws to protect Goa's heritage have destroyed evidence of
history such as Café Puna. Outside of the few conservation
zones in the city (those too are constantly under threat)
there are no protection laws in the state. By allowing the
demolition you have given your sanction to the annihilation
of Goa's history.
Does Goa then not want to protect its heritage? Your
government's reluctance to frame regulations for heritage
protection says it all.
The plot on which Café Puna once stood may belong to
Sungrace Developers on paper but the building was part of our
common cultural heritage. And you have allowed this heritage,
kept safely for 70 years, to disappear overnight. We are told
that the new high rise to come up in its place will be a
40-room hotel. We are told that heritage buildings are 'white
elephants' that cost money and are a financial drain. Who
says so? Some of the finest corporate offices all over the
world (such as Arcelor Mittal in France
