Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Brotas _(Our Lady of Springs Church) Anjediv Island.KARWAR INDIA

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Sir,

This writer has made repeated pleas to self to
enlighten the Catholic faithful and others on the
letter that  Government of Goa  has made out to the
Defence Ministry and the Naval Authorities in August
/Sept 2002 on a direction issued by the Station
Commander Sea Bird Project at Binaga Karwar to stop
the faithful from visiting the Island for the Feast of
both Our Lady of Springs on 2nd February and the Feast
of St Francis de Assisi on 4th October owing to the
security reasons from May 2003.

The assurance given by you on the floor of the Goa
Assembly last August 2002 to take up the matter also
refers. Obviously one is anxious to know the reply to
enable us pursue the issue further depending on the
reply now that well over nearly eight months have
lapsed.

The Archdiocese Goa and Daman under whose jurisdiction
the Church stands till this day (though the
Archdiocese of Karwar oversees its day to day
activities through the Parish Priest of St Anne Church
, Binaga Karwar Fr. Britto D Silva) has maintained
that they take no cognizance of the letter addresed to
the Catholic Association of India Goa Branch, as such
matters of policy decision can only be taken at the
highest level viz; the Archbishop and  Chief of Naval
Staff or the Defence Minister.

Nevertheless, technicalities apart there is a fear
that the Church whose roof collapsed last monsoons may
further perish if timely repairs are not intiated
before the onset of the monsoons.

A similar fate has already befallen on the Chapel of
St Francis de Assisi four years ago due to the neglect
of the Sea Bird Authorities and in sheer violation of
the terms of Agreement under which the Goa Government
handed over the same to the Naval Authorities way back
in the late eighties.  

To add to it local Archdiocese whose Archbishop has
retired in June 2002 on completion of 75 years has
renmained a silent spectator to this gross neglect and
ruination of heritage site and only when this author
pursued the issue and your kindself readily sanctioned
an amount of Rs,25,000 last April 2002 through for the
repairs of the Church the authorities have awoken but
there is no official coment till this date given to
the faithful or the media both audio and visual.

>From the estimates for repairs presented then which
involved about nine lakhs it is possible to reduce the
same once the causeway linking the island and the
Binaga mainland of 4 kms is ready this May 2003.

Hence once the reply from defence authorities is  made
available the work can be undertaken.  

Fundacao Oriente had also then readily agreed to carry
or contibute part of the repair expenses for
restoration this fiscal year when the under signed
approached the highest authority in Goa but on
condition that the necessary clearance from the State
Government and Defence authorities were obtained.   
Your kindself had also agreed to provide the same when
this writer met you on World Heritage Day Muncipal
Garden Panaji in April 2002.

May I therefore request you Sir to make a statement on
the floor of the Assembly de novo on your Governments
stand and the steps you would take to safeguard the
structure which was built before the Taj Mahal and the
Babri Masjid and where the Portuguese first set foot
before the conquest of then Goa in November 1510.

Yours sincerely,

sd/
GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES
Borda Margao Goa INDIA
9822158584
gonsalvesgodfreyji-/E1597aS9LQxFYw1CcD5bw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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