Goa to set up urban arts commission for architectural heritage

The Goa government has decided to constitute 'Urban Arts Commission', which will advise the state government and the local bodies on preservation and maintenance of architectural heritage in the state.

The Conservation Committee of Goa Town and Country Planning Board, which met under the chairmanship of minister Vijai Sardesai on Friday, decided to form the commission.

Talking to reporters, Sardesai said the future buildings in the state must follow the "law of aesthetics".

"Ours is a party which believes in heritage. Heritage is also architecture," Sardesai, who heads BJP ally Goa Forward Party (GFP), said.

The commission, he said, will advise the government on preservation, development and maintenance of the aesthetic qualities of urban and environmental design in Goa.

"It will also advise and guide local bodies on the development project, which may affect the architectural aesthetic quality of the surroundings, especially in conservation zones," he said.

The commission will also advise the Town and Country Planning department through the board's conservation committee aboutvarious avenues to set up Goan streetscapes, the minister added.

According to him, one of the members of the commission will have statutory powers, who will also be a member of the board.

"My basic principle is that whatever change of zone that we are doing now through either section 16 B of TCP Act or any other way, this change of zone should also reflect the Goan streetscape...If we convert the land, it should have only Goan architecture," he said.

In yet another decision, the TCP Board also decided to have a policy on the signages in the heritage areas.

"The office of Chief Architect will provide dos and don'ts as far as signages is concerned in the heritage areas, which would be implemented with the help of local civic bodies or panchayats," he said.