Panaji: A move to excavate along Rajbid, a 65ft-wide stone-paved road dating back to the pre-Portuguese era and stretching from Agasaim to Old Goa, was stopped by locals at Kadamba plateau on Wednesday, prompting activists to renew demands for heritage status for the site.Locals questioned workers who arrived with earth-moving machinery at the site. “They informed us that the digging was part of a govt project,” a local said.Heritage activists and residents on Thursday demanded protection for the 9-km-long road and its linkages, describing it as a unique heritage trail. “A copper inscription of the Kadamba period indicates that this road was constructed by Jayakesi I, a Kadamba king, in the 11th century, and it is referred to as a royal road,” heritage activist Prajal Sakhardande said.Sakhardande told reporters that while notifying Gopakpattan was a significant step, other heritage sites on the Kadamba plateau, which is an ecologically rich area, must also be protected.Local politician and activist Ramrao Wagh said heritage lovers and locals wanted to preserve Rajbid for its historical value, while builders were eyeing it for realty interests. “Notifying Gopakpattan (ancient port of Goa Velha-Agasaim) will be meaningless if its important link, Rajbid, is not notified,” he said.Wagh urged St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar to address the threat to Rajbid and the damage caused by projects in the constituency.
