From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Nov 20: As Christmas and New Year celebrations are coming closer, Goa police have issued advisories to all the Churches in the state asking them to increase security around their complexes.

In the run up for the Christmas season, several Churches are celebrating their annual feasts, attractive thousands of people for the religious prayers.

The number of tourists is also expected to swell in the coming days, worrying the state security agencies about possible troubles.

Superintendent of Police Arvind Gawas said that there is a general alert, but no specific security threat, for the Churches. These advisories, he said, suggest precautionary measures that are being asked to be undertaken by respective Church managements.

The religious places are urged to be more vigilant by installing gadgets like Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras and also keep a watch on the suspicious visitors.

Gawas said that Churches are also asked to employ private security guards who will be monitoring the movements around the premises 24 hours.

The festival season for the Roman Catholics in the state has already begun with several Churches scattered in the village celebrating their annual feasts. But the biggest of the events is the annual celebrations at Basilica of Bom Jesus Church at Old Goa on December 3.

Entire cluster of Churches at Old Goa, including Basilica, is under the control of Archeological Survey of India (ASI), as they have been protected as `world heritage monuments.’

Fr Savio Barretto, Rector, Basilica of Bom Jesus, where relics of saint Francis Xavier are preserved, admitted that the security for the place is `lax.’

ASI has assigned the work of handling the security to a private agency, Fr Barretto said adding that the protection is for namesake.

There are only two policemen present at the complex at any given time,” he added.

Fr Barretto opined that there should be proper security at the entry and exit where any suspicious person walking in can be spotted. “The police presence is heightened only during the feast days and after they withdraw their force,” Fr Barretto added.

Goa has 180-odd Churches and Chapels but security concern has been raised about few important ones, which would be attracting huge crowds to celebrate the feasts.

Fr Francis Caldeira, spokesman for Archbishop’s palace, said that the police expect Church managements to handle the security.

“They have asked us to recruit private security agencies to mend our security,” he said adding, `we have been doing all possible to look after the security, but police should also take pro-active steps.’

Goa has around 27 per cent of its population believing in Catholic faith, living in most of the villages of the state. The Portuguese-era Churches are also important tourist attraction, especially for the Europeans, due to their architecture.