GA-ARCHITECTURE-COMMISSION

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.