Goa government identifies land for new Raj Bhavan

PANAJI: The state government has identified land to construct a new Raj Bhavan in the state.
A senior officer said that after preparing design and estimates for the new structure, the file will be sent to the government for necessary approvals.
A senior officer said that land has been identified inside the Raj Bhavan complex, but the final decision will be taken by the government.
Several meetings were held to discuss the concept and the kind of facilities that will be required at the new Raj Bhavan.
Recently, the Raj Bhavan’s new spacious 1,000-capacity durbar hall was inaugurated by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu. The government spent Rs 7 crore on the new durbar hall, which hosts dignitaries during swearing-in ceremonies and state receptions.
Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai had accepted the state government’s proposal for a new Raj Bhavan in October and had said that he had gone through the objections raised when the proposal was put before the governor’s office earlier.
On August 1, 2020, former governor Satya Pal Malik had rejected the state’s proposal to construct a new Raj Bhavan. He had written a strong letter to then chief minister Pramod Sawant and said that it was “irrational and imprudent” to even think of it when the state is reeling under an acute financial crisis amid the pandemic.
Malik had said that “his requirement for functioning as a governor is very limited and he does not require any new Raj Bhavan building per se”.
On July 24, 2020, Sawant, after a meeting with chief secretary Parimal Rai and PWD principal chief engineer Uttam Parsekar, had told TOI that the PWD had said it was difficult to maintain the (current) Raj Bhavan, and hence, the state government was in the process of identifying land for a new Raj Bhavan, and it would be tendered by April 2021.