Panaji, June 30: Former Panaji Mayor Surendra Furtado has strongly criticised the demolition of the iconic Campal Lighthouse behind Kala Academy, calling it “a dark day for Panaji’s heritage” and demanding that the Goa Government explain the circumstances that led to the demolition.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Furtado questioned the government’s decision to demolish the 42-year-old, 22-metre-high lighthouse, stating that authorities had claimed the structure was unsafe due to severe structural weakness but had failed to place the structural audit report in the public domain.

Furtado pointed out that the lighthouse, built in 1981, had served as a navigational aid for vessels entering Panaji Port for over four decades and had become a prominent landmark in the city.

He further alleged that the demolition was carried out within the notified Campal Heritage Precinct, a conservation zone protected under the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010. He questioned whether the mandatory approval of the Conservation Committee had been obtained before the demolition and sought a public clarification from the government.

Addressing PWD Minister Digambar Kamat and Urban Development Minister Vishwajit Rane, Furtado demanded the immediate release of the PWD’s structural audit report and the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) feasibility study to allow heritage experts and citizens to determine whether demolition was the only viable option.

He also asked the government to disclose its future plans for the site, expressing concern that the demolition could pave the way for a commercial public-private partnership (PPP) project on the prime Mandovi riverfront. Referring to statements that a new lighthouse could become a tourist attraction, he questioned whether commercial interests were driving the redevelopment.

Furtado claimed that the demolition followed a pattern of public assets in Campal being handed over or redeveloped, citing the Bandodkar Ground and the proposed leasing of the ₹35-crore Campal stadium complex to private operators. He described these developments as a “systematic erasure of Panaji’s identity.”

The former Mayor demanded that the government halt all construction at the lighthouse site until a public hearing is conducted by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP). He also sought a written assurance that only a functional lighthouse, and not a commercial complex, would be built at the location.

Drawing a comparison with the preservation of the 400-year-old Aguada Lighthouse, Furtado argued that the Campal Lighthouse could have been retrofitted instead of being demolished.

He maintained that neither Panaji residents nor the CCP were consulted before the demolition and asserted that until the government proves the demolition was technically unavoidable, questions over the decision will continue to remain.