President Kovind lays foundation stone of new Raj Bhawan in Goa

President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the new Goa Raj Bhawan building near here, adjacent to the existing 450-year-old governor house in the coastal state.

The new building is being constructed in the premises of the existing governor house, which was constructed during the erstwhile Portuguese rule, located on a hill overlooking the Arabian Sea in the Dona Paula area near the state capital Panaji.

Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, and Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Governor Pillai thanked the president for the laying foundation stone of the new Raj Bhawan building and said it was an auspicious moment in the history of Goa.

The new building will not destroy the present building as it is a national monument and nobody has the right to change any part of it, he said. "Our Raj Bhawan is a national monument, but people are not getting an opportunity to visit it due to various reasons, like security and other strict conditions. It is difficult for ordinary people to easily visit the Raj Bhawan," he noted.

The governor said Kovind had earlier suggested that if possible, he (governor) should discuss with the chief minister and others and try for a new Raj Bhawan to be constructed.

The (existing) Raj Bhawan is more than 450 years' old. It is stable, but at the same time, a process is on in all states for the construction of new governor houses, he said.