Moira gaunkars rise to save their land
Brace for legal battle to stop controversial constructions
THE GOAN Network
MAPUSA: The Moira Comunidade and its gaunkars appear to be bracing for a long legal battle to save its land and stop controversial constructions in tenanted agricultural land in Moira.
The immediate provocation was one of the tenants, Gurudas Kerkar’s decision to carry out some construction activity in the tenanted agricultural land by leasing it out to a third party, allegedly to a builder from Mapusa.
The Moira Comunidade, on June 4, in a complaint to the Administrator of Comunidades of North Zone stated that an unauthorized construction of a compound wall and other structures were being carried out by Gurudas Kerkar in tenanted land and Vithu Babal Satelkar in another tenanted land.
Acting on the complaint, Administrator of Comunidades of North Dashrat Redkar issued show-cause notices to both the tenants asking them why they should not be vacated from the land belonging to the Moira Comunidade and occupied by them illegally.
Redkar also asked both the tenants and the complainant to be present in his office on June 16.
“The tenant, Gurudas Kerkar, has not cultivated the land for the last at least 40 years,” said Moira Comunidade President Thomas D’Gama. “Moreover, he had the courage to build a fencing of laterite stone, dig a bore well and a storage tank in the agricultural land,” he added.
Over 60 Gaunkars and their spouses had gathered in the office of the Administrator of Comunidades of North in Mapusa on Tuesday, as per the direction of the administrator.
“We want to take this opportunity and request all the comunidades in the State that all those tenants, who have not been cultivating their land for over three years be thrown out,” Floriano Lobo a Gaunkar of Moira Communidade said.
He said that he would request the components of the comunidade to pass a resolution to ban construction of farm houses on comunidade land.
“Farm houses are being used as a back door entry to convert them into pucca constructions later,” Lobo added.
The two tenants, Gurudas Kerkar and Vithu Satelkar, were represented by their respected lawyers, who were also present in the office of Administrator of Comunidades of North for the hearing.
According to Gurudas Kerkar's lawyer, the Gaunkars are simply making a noise and giving wrong information to the authorities.
“These comunidade officials and others are misrepresenting facts before various government departments. My client is the legal owner of the land and he can definitely do certain things in the interest of protecting his land,” said Naveen Bhivshet, the lawyer representing Kerkar.
Incidentally, Mapusa-based builder, Vinod Phadke, was also present in the Administrator of Communidades’ office.
“Kerkar is my very good friend. I am helping him to build a pump house in his property,” Phadke said while speaking to The Goan.
After hearing all the three parties, the administrator has fixed the next hearing in the case on June 23.
It may be recalled that the Town and Country Planning department had issued a show-cause notice to Gurudas Kerkar in April and ordered him to stop all work on the basis that he misrepresented facts while applying for permission to construct physical structures in agricultural land. The TCP, Mapusa, had given Kerkar technical clearance to construct a compound wall, pump house and a well in a paddy field in Moira. The clearance had been given only because Kerkar had claimed that he owned the land.
The Moira Comunidade denied that the land had been sold to anyone and pointed out that it had not received any compensation.
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Will not rest till we
get justice: Lobo
THE GOAN Network
MAPUSA: “We will not rest in peace unless we get justice and the illegal activities on comunidade land are stopped,” said Floriano Lobo, a Gaunkar of Moira and the general secretary of Goa Su-Raaj Party.
“To achieve that even if we have to approach the High Court we will do so,” he added.
Lobo said the Town and Country Planning department was supposed to issue an order, revoking the permission given to construct a compound wall and other structures to the tenant, Gurudas Kerkar.
“According to my information, the order is ready. It awaits the signature of chief town planner, S T Puttaraju,” Lobo said.
The Moira Comunidade will follow the instant case to its logical end and the culprits would be nailed and exposed, he said.
Expressing his frustration with various departments, Joseph Coelho, a Gaunkar of Moira Comunidade described how applications/complaints to departments were stone-walled by the government.
“These people are out to finish the comunidade by taking over our fields and constructing building projects instead,” Coelho said.
Exhorting the Gaunkars and the Goans in general, he made a clarion call of the need to protect comunidade land.
