ARCHIVES AND ARCHAELOGY DEPT TO GET NEW PLACE

PANJIM: The state archives and archaeology department, which is presently sharing congested office space with other government departments at Rua de Ourem in Panjim, will soon get spacious new premises on the outskirts of the capital city.

The state has identified around 15,000 sq m of land at Morombi O Pequeno near Merces for the new office.

North Goa collector Mihir Vardhan, confirming this development, said on Wednesday, "The land has been identified and we are now waiting for the department of archives and archaeology to work out the details and send us a proposal."

Director for archives and archaeology Manohar Dicholkar said that as the identified space at Morombi O Pequeno is not a contiguous piece of land his department is in the process of working out the modalities.

In fact, a plot of land for the new building was first identified at Patto Plaza in Panjim, but it was later abandoned by the government.

The North Goa collector and the director of settlements and land records also scanned government land of 15,000 sq m at the Goa Housing Board complex in Porvorim and another near the Dental Hospital complex at Cujira.

Land allotted to the Goa Education Development Corporation, land adjacent to the secretariat at Porvorim, and land near the Goa University were also considered.

Meanwhile, to avoid the deterioration of the present archives and archaeology office, due to weather and other conditions, and to protect it from flooding and fire, the government carried out several repair works last year.

Besides covering the roof of the existing building with ACC in order to protect it from leakage during the 2010 monsoon, the building was painted to protect its walls from dampness, sources said.

The worn out parts of the concrete were also repaired by re-plastering them in 2010 and the height of the plinth level of the rooms was also raised to avoid flooding.  Laying of new wires to protect the building from short circuits was also undertaken, besides providing fire extinguishers to meet any emergency.

The archives and archaeology department is presently in the process of computerizing records such as birth and death records, Documentos Para Viagem, documents of the Captain of Ports and land records on a priority basis.  The work of scanning, microfilming and computerization of records is presently under way. (TNN)