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Tripartite pact signed to conserve Reis Magos fortress
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, MarCH 2 â In a major step towards conservation of 550-year old Reis Magos fortress, a tripartite agreement was signed today between the Goa government, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Helen Hamlyn Trust (HHT), UK.
A Management Committee has been set up to look after the work, Chief Secretary J P Singh announced here. The Management Committee headed by the chairman of INTACH S K Misra wll decide ways and means to make it self-sustaining, Singh said.
Lady Hamlyn, chairperson of the Helen Hamlyn Trust is donating Rs 3.5 crore for the project.
The members of the Managing Committee include Director of Archives & Archaelogy, noted cartoonist and INTACH Goa convenor Mario Miranda, Chairman of DCB Naseer Munjee, eminent lawyer Francisco de Braganza, Shobita Punja on behalf of Helen Hamlyn Trust, Dipti Salgaoncar of INTACH Goa, Development Commissioner and Chief Secretary as special invitee. Renowned architect Gerard DâCunha and his team will be the lead architect for the project. The work is expected to be completed in two years.
When commissioned, an entry fee will be imposed for visitors, it was announced.
As per 2004 estimates, the restoration work was to cost around Rs 3 crores.
Based in New Delhi, INTACH is a well-known non-government organization involved in restoration and conservation work of historical monuments.
Expressing happiness over the signing of the MoU, Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane said that this effort would go a long way towards conservation of heritage monuments. He said foreign countries take lot of pride in their heritage monuments however few they may be but in India there are many with rich history and architecture some of which are allowed to decay. He said Rs 5 crore would be earmarked towards conservation in Goa.
Rane made it clear that the donation from HHT is with no strings attached.
Lady Hamlyn who lives in Goa said itâs âmy gift for Goaâ. Her trust is undertaking several restoration and conservation works in the country including Jaisalmar in Rajasthan, Rajasthan fort, etc.
The objectives of the MoU include to create a model partnership between government and INTACH for cultural heritage conservation and establish a sustainable model for such a purpose, to establish a mechanism for financial responsibility, to prepare a master plan for the fortress.
The fortress is situated on the slope of a hill on the banks of river Mandovi in Betim in Verem village panchayat in Bardez taluka. The fortress was constructed in 1551 and named as Royal Fort in 1554. Before Liberation, it was used to house political prisoners including freedom fighters and after liberation converted into a sub-jail till 1993.
