MAPUSA
The villagers of Bastora and Nachinola have unanimously resolved to demand equal status for Konkani written in Roman script, calling for its recognition in the Official Language Act alongside the Devanagari script.
This resolution signifies a growing movement within the state for the inclusion of Roman script in the official recognition of the Konkani language.
In Bastora, the resolution was proposed by former panchayat member John Fernandes and seconded by former sarpanch Savio Martins.
During the discussion, locals highlighted that a significant portion of the population uses Roman script, underscoring the need for its official acknowledgment.
“We need to rectify the historic wrong that was done when Konkani language was given official recognition. Along with Devanagari, Roman script should also be given official recognition,” stated a passionate local.
Bastora Sarpanch Subhash Morajkar acknowledged the villagers’ demand for equal recognition of Roman script, noting that the resolution was a collective decision.
“The villagers demanded that the Roman script should be included in the Official Language Act. The resolution was unanimously adopted by the gram sabha,” Morajkar said.
In Nachinola, a large number of people attended the gram sabha meeting to express their support for the resolution.
Nachinola Sarpanch Freddy Fernandes emphasised that the decision was collective, with unanimous backing from both panchayat members and villagers. “Every panchayat member and people in the village supported the recognition of Roman script in the Official Language Act,” Fernandes stated.
The resolution in both villages reflects a significant push towards recognising the cultural and linguistic diversity within the State, ensuring that both scripts of Konkani are given their due status.
In addition to the language resolution, the Bastora gram sabha also addressed local infrastructure issues, specifically waterlogging in various areas of the village. Villagers expressed concern about water accumulation on one side of the road near the nursery, just after the Bastora underpass.
Sarpanch Morajkar informed the assembly that PWD engineers have been notified of the issue and have agreed to resolve the problem once the monsoon season ends.
Furthermore, the sarpanch assured the villagers that an inspection would be conducted to address waterlogging near the Satpurush Temple at Boa Vista, promising necessary actions to mitigate the issue.
