Will the Goa government's fresh plan to set up an IIT in Sanguem fizzle out yet again? Can the government defend its right over the 360 hectares of land which the society -- Sociedade Patriótica dos Baldios das Novas Conquistas -- is contesting in court? These and many other questions will need answers as the government braces up to defend itself against a petition before the High Court pleading that the government has 'secretly' claimed ownership of land.
The charge against the government is that it has covertly changed the 'record of rights' maintained by the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records citing a notification dated 1966. The society which claims title rights, including the inscription and description documents, states that due processes of law have not been followed, and no notices were served on the society. Secondly, it claims that the government in its records has endorsed the society to be owners of the land in question. It has been pointed out that for 55 years nothing had changed until May 2021.
The government's defence will hinge on a notification dated July 27, 1966, of the Revenue Department where it was stated that those lands which remain uncultivated will be reverted to the government under the constitution of Section 34 of the ‘Estatute of the Sociedade'.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recently indicated that he may revisit Sanguem with the IIT plan. Speaking on the floor of the House in the recently concluded Assembly session, the CM lambasted the chairman of the society for "claiming rights over government land" and threatened to arrest him. He also requested tenants residing in the properties not to make any payments to the society because "the rights of the land are with the government." The CM was high on confidence, but the reluctance to proceed with legal action has overshadowed the credibility of the talk.
The court will sit in judgement and decide on the merits of the case. The bottom line is that all actions, whether from the government's side, or the society's, must be within the framework of the law.
On the other side, several locals are protesting the government's claim over land because they have been summarily stripped of their rights over portions of tenanted and cultivated land, and even properties purchased under the tenancy act. This is unfair to the many people whose livelihoods are dependent on these lands.
The Melauli IIT issue is coming back to haunt, and the government is once again bulldozing its way without considering the impact on locals. It appears that lessons have not been learnt. The Melauli retreat should have been an eye-opener, forcing the government to move ahead with its IIT plan with a broad consensus between landowners and locals.
While the protest over regaining rights may not yield any results, the aggrieved people will have to knock on the doors of the judiciary in search of justice. Sadly, the High Court continues to be the last resort for the common man against the injustices meted out to them.
