PANAJI: India President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for the new Raj Bhavan in Goa on Wednesday, June 15.

Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik, Speaker of the Goa Assembly Ramesh Tawadkar, and other cabinet ministers were present on the occasion.

The construction of a new Raj Bhavan has been criticised by the Congress and other elements of society, who argue that if the present one is in good form, there is no need to build a new one.

Later, Goa Raj Bhavan argued the need to create a new residential complex for the Governor in place of a centuries-old heritage structure, stating that the original Raj Bhavan will be conserved.

"This is a national monument (the current Raj Bhavan). Nothing can be changed, not even a single stone, governor, Rashtrapati, or Chief Minister. If somebody says we are going to destroy it, I'm sorry, but I'm praying that God would provide right information to these people "Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai said.

Rainwater harvesting, solar energy utilisation, and other green building features have been included in the new Raj Bhavan.

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