What the Ilha de Calma ads don’t show you. By Steena Joy
Diu or the Ilha de Calma in Portuguese, has been recently in the news, much deservedly I must say, due to its advertising campaign on television and in print which won quite a few awards and the attention of tourists seeking to explore virgin destinations. And the Diu administration (it is a Union Territory) is going all out to attract visitors, having roped in Ogilvy & Mather to do the ad campaign. However if Diu hopes to benefit from this exercise to increase inbound tourist traffic, there are some things it needs to urgently look into.When this reporter visited the UT two months ago, it was quite shocking to see two of its most visited heritage sites, the Diu Fort and St Paul’s Church, both built by the Portuguese, in derelict condition.
A slice of history in ruins
The Diu fortress stands on the eastern part of Diu Island and is protected by the sea on three sides. It houses several cannons, barracks, churches for officers on duty and a lighthouse which is also open to visitors for a nominal charge. The original fortification, constructed under Nuno-da-Cunha in AD 1535, was rebuilt by the Viceroy D Joao the Castro after AD 1546. The other heritage site, St. Paul’s Church is dedicated to our Lady of Immaculate Conception. Constructed between 1601-1610, the main facade of the church and the wooden altar are perhaps the most elaborate of all Portuguese churches in India.
So it was very disheartening to see both these historical sites showing signs of neglect and poor maintenance. The Diu Fort now has a broken gate (see pic) thanks to a tourist bus that backed into it some months previously and the church has a leaking roof and falling plaster. As both are ASI protected monuments, we spoke to the ASI’s Diu office which is ironically situated right inside the fort (the district sub jail is also located inside). According to Subhash Kumar, conservation assistant, ASI, Diu “We are doing our bit for the maintenance of the fort and church. But a major constraint is funds for conservation. The centre will have to allot more funds for restoration.The Diu fort will need at least Rs 40 to Rs 50 crore for repair and restoration. And the St Paul’s Church will require at least Rs one crore for repairs.” On the bright side, recently a cleanliness drive was organised at the Diu Fort to rid it of plastic bottles and garbage that had littered its premises. The problem lies in the fact that without ASI’s permission, the monuments cannot even be touched for repairs. Caught between the ASI and its lack of funds, the Diu administration is desperate for a solution.
Save this heritage
Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Vikram Singh Malik, IAS, collector and district magistrate, Diu, said, “We cannot do the restoration and repair as these are protected monuments. This is specialised work and requires the technical expertise of ASI. We have however made a request to ASI to expedite the repair of the Diu Fort as we have plans to start a light and sound show at the fort which obviously cannot be done in the present condition. We have even raised this issue with the ministry of tourism at the Centre when Ashish Kundra, administrator, Daman & Diu, met the tourism department.” A market research was done by Tata Consultancy Services in 2002, and according to it, a proposed Diu Fort development plan would include restoration of the fort walls, chapels and statues, and implementation of self explanatory signages guiding the tourist flow within.
Express TravelWorld hopes the remains of the unique Portuguese heritage in Diu, built over centuries, is not lost forever.