About 700 people, mostly Catho-lics, marched through Old Goa, the colonial-era Portuguese capital, to protest a government plan for a tourism project near the Bom Jesus Basilica, the 16th-century church that houses the relics of Saint Francis Xavier. Environmentalists and resi-dents of Old Goa joined the protest at the popular pilgrimage site on Mar. 23 to oppose the project. The Goa Tourism Department reportedly planned to build a ‘tourism mall’ on the ruins of a 16th-century church near the basilica. Residents of Old Goa have formed a forum–Save Old Goa Action Committee–to oppose the project, which they say is planned with scant regard for their history, Catholic sentiments and environment. “It is outrageous that a commercial structure is being planned on the ruins of the Five Wounds of Christ Church. The project is also within the 100 meters of the world heritage site of Bom Jesus Basilica,” Catholic priest Savio Barretto, former rector of the Basilica of Bom Jesus told on March 24.