Panaji, Aug 1: Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly and BJP legislator Michael Lobo today demanded in the House that the erstwhile central jail at Aguada near Panaji should be converted into a museum. The jail, which was constructed during the Portuguese era has been shut since May 30, 2015 ever since the state commissioned a new facility at Colvale, 20 kms away from here. Speaking in the Assembly, Lobo demanded that the erstwhile jail, which overlooks the Arabian Sea, should be converted into a museum. "The excess artifacts at Goa State Museum can be shifted to this place which has a rich heritage," he said.

Lobo said operating museums have become a business internationally with the governments abroad charging fees from the visitors. "I think if a museum is properly developed, tourists won't mind paying fees up to Rs 500 to see it," he said. The legislator also said that the state-run Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has already got Rs 25 crore sanctioned for the development of the erstwhile Aguada jail, which can be utilised for setting up the museum.