Times News NetworkPanaji: After opposition from villagers, Cumbharjua MLA Rajesh Fal Dessai had met chief minister Pramod Sawant in Feb and had told reporters that the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Ghat Aarti project at Naroa had been called off. Despite this, GTDC is still pursuing permissions from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).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. Revised drawings were submitted last month, and GCZMA has asked an expert member to examine them.Villagers from Naroa, Akhada, Divar, and Vanxim had objected in Feb, saying the project would destroy an age-old crematorium site and disturb land of religious and cultural significance.The project, planned on the lines of ghat aartis at Rishikesh and Varanasi, is estimated to cost Rs 10 crore and is part of state govt’s spiritual tourism push.
