NCP demands installation of St Francis Xavier's statue at Old Goa

Panaji, Nov 26 (UNI) The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has today demanded installation of the statue of Saint Francis Xavier at Old Goa junction which is dotted with a sleu of world heriotage monuments visited by scores of tourists world over everyday.

In a press note, the party spokesman and General Secretary Surendra Furtado said the erstwhile BJP-led coalition government had promised to install the statute but successive governments had quietly forgotten it after the collapse of the Manohar Parrikar government.

Stating that Jesuits have a life-size statue in place awaiting to be installed, Furtado said it would be apt of the Digambar Kamat government to fulfill the commitment made by his predecessor.

The NCP spokesman said the statute of St Xavier is extremely appropriate since the the saint was credited for his exemplary missionary work in Asia even as he chose Goa as his permanent resting place.

A statute at Old Goa is a fitting tribute to the man who eventually made Old Goa the hub of missionary activity in this part of Asia, he added.

UNI