PANAJI: Stating that the 15-day period granted for filing suggestions with regards to the government process of identifying sites/structures, which would subsequently be declared as heritage sites, was grossly inadequate, the Power Minister, Mr Aleixo Sequeira has called for extension of the date even as he has called for more clarity on the process of identification.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Town Planner, Mr Morad Ahmed, Mr Sequeira has pointed out that many stakeholders have approached him asking about the criteria to be adopted for listing these sites, what the government would offer them and what it wanted to do after identifying such sites. He has called for further extension of time limit by three months.

He has also stated in his letter that it was not clear whether private homes, houses were going to be identified as heritage homes, etc and whether any information and intimation was given to the individual residents and title holders of such houses.

Further stating that the 15-day time limit was grossly inadequate for any owner to respond to the government, he has in his letter also stated that it would be appropriate for the government to amply clarify on overall policy for the purpose of identification of the ‘alleged’ heritage sites, buildings, houses.

He has also stated that in absence of a specific criteria and parameters, such identification would not attract any validity from many other laws including right to hold property, etc and therefore the exercise would be futile, arbitrary and detrimental to the title holders of such homes and structures.