MARGAO
The Goyche Fudle Pilge Khatir has petitioned to Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai and the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant with a plea for access to the annual customary prayers at Anjediva Island on February 2 to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Springs.
In a letter, the NGO said that perusal of records of Department of Revenue, Government of Goa has revealed that from 1979 the Department has been facilitating handing over of Anjediva Island within Goa jurisdictions to Naval authorities.
“The Revenue Department completed formalities of handing over Anjediva Island to the Indian Navy in 1989. From 2003, people of Goa especially from Canacona taluka who have customary prayer rights of access twice a year on February 2, to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Springs and October 4, to celebrate the feast of St Francis of Assisi are blocked from entering the island by Indian Navy. This has created severe hardships to the devotees who are accustomed to visit the island twice a year to celebrate the named feasts,” the NGO said.
The NGO drew attention of the authorities, including the Naval authorities that as per the records contained in a letter no. 16/6/84-RD dated 26th October 1986 signed by Under Secretary (Revenue) P S Nadkarni, Revenue Department was fully aware of the customary prayer services offered by people of Goa on the island and deliberately allowed Indian Navy to violate these customary rights of people of Goa.
“The historical connection of people of Goa with the Anjediva Island is multi-dimensional and of paramount significance that is sought to be severed under active conniving from Goa Revenue Department by letting Indian Navy to block access of people of Goa to the Island,” he said, adding while calling for urgent intervention to open access to celebrate both the annual feasts on February 2 and October 4.
“Navy has been insensitive to block customary rights of people of Goa to celebrate the two feasts on the Island. We express our strong disapproval of blocking of customary prayer rights on Anjediva Island Church and Chapel, and call for the reversal of the Naval authorities blocking of access. To begin with kindly open access for February 2 feast of Our Lady of Springs also known as Nossa Senhora de Brotas,” the NGO said, adding that failure to open access to customary prayers on the Anjediva Island could lead to serious unpredictable consequences for which the authorities will be held responsible and accountable.
