Panaji: Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has sought to defer the proposal submitted to Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) for a no-objection certificate (NOC) for construction of the Ghat Aarti project at Naroa in Bicholim on the banks of River Mandovi. GTDC has not provided any reason for seeking deferment of the proposal.Residents of Naroa, Divar, Akhada, and Vanxim villages united against the project, fearing it would threaten the protection of the centuries-old sacred site.BJP’s Cumbharjua MLA Rajesh Faldessai had also joined the protesters, claiming in March this year that the project was scrapped, though no such official announcement was made.In fact, even after Faldessai’s statement, the GTDC submitted a revised project proposal to the GCZMA for approval.A GCZMA expert team had inspected the site and informed the GTDC that construction could not extend into the waters. It asked the GTDC to revise the proposal and redraw the plans accordingly. The GTDC submitted revised plans incorporating the experts’ suggestions. At last month’s GCZMA hearing, the GTDC was close to securing an NOC but instead sought a deferment of the project.The proposal covers over 16,000sqm and includes toilet blocks, a rain shelter, a ticketing booth, and a tourist information centre. GTDC has also listed a ferry ramp, statue, platform, puja mandap and aarti deck on the banks of the Mandovi at Naroa, Bicholim.GCZMA inspected the site after receiving the proposal last year and found part of the area in a mangrove buffer zone. It directed GTDC not to build there and to submit revised plans.The project, planned along the lines of ghat aartis at Rishikesh and Varanasi, is estimated to cost Rs 10 crore and is part of govt’s spiritual tourism push.
