MARGAO
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat’s insistence that the Moti Dongor hutments has the protection of law since the area is notified under the Slum Act, may reopen the decades old debate whether the Slum Areas (Improvement & Clearance Act), 1956 was extended to Goa.
A glance at the demolition order passed by then South Goa Administrator of Comunidades, Sangeeta Naik on August 5, 2013 revealed that Act has not been extended to Goa and has no application within its territorial limits.
In fact, Naik had stated in her order that extension of Act to the state of Goa was essential, before any authority could issue a notification there under”.
That’s not all. The then Administrator had further contended that the parties has failed to produce any documents in support of legality of their structures to disprove the contention that the structures are illegal. “The parties produced some documents like ration card, electricity bill, EPIC card, which are relevant in showing their residence and occupancy of the structures, which is not at all in dispute, but failed miserably to produce any document to show that they are entitled to hold the Comunidade land legally”, she had stated, throwing up the same old question why the slum dwellers did not produce the notification declaring the area as a slum under the Slum Act.
