PANAJI
The all important Comunidade convention held on Sunday at Dona Paula did not rise to the expectations of the Pramod Sawant government and cold-shouldered the move to legalise illegal houses on these age-old Gaunkari lands across the State.
Furthermore, the convention adopted a resolution which called for deliberations and recommendations to address illegal constructions and encroachments in comunidade lands and to prevent such illegalities in future.
In another significant resolution, the convention called for pre-legislative consultation before any amendments are made by the government to the Code of Comunidades in the Goa legislative assembly.
The Dona Paula convention on Sunday, attended by two delegates each specially designated by dozens of comunidades, was held under Section 652 of the Code of Comunidades.
Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate who attended only the inaugural and then left said, the administrators of comunidades have powers to resolve and dispose complaints of encroachments in comunidades within a year.
"Administrators have the authority to do this," Monserrate said, adding that the comunidade institutions and the Code of Comunidades need to be reformed so as to benefit the community.
The convention in its deliberations later adopted another resolution which resolved to digitise all comunidade records and the government was urged to appoint "full time" administrators for all the zones.
Administrators of comunidiades are civil servants appointed by the State government but function independently. The entire administration, including the salaries of staff and the administrator are borne by the comunidades from that specific zone through annual 'deramas' paid by these age old village community bodies.
It also called for holding such conventions to be held once every three years, instead of five.
In November last year, the State government had indicated that it will grant protection from demolition to homes built illegally in comunidade land after hundreds faced the axe from their respective comunidades' managing committees in Canacona, Saligao and elsewhere.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said then that the comunidade bodies will be taken into confidence to bring about this protection to illegal houses even to the extent of amending the Code of Comunidades and the Land Revenue Code and argued that it was meant only for Goan homes and not to regularise any of the slums.
The issue of legalising residential structures in comunidade land has been hanging fire for over two decades and multiple attempts by past governments had either failed or were aborted, the most recent being the controversial Bhumiputra Bill.
Although passed by the Assembly, the bill was allowed to lapse without becoming law after widespread protests across the State had the ruling BJP government facing allegations of protecting migrant slums for vote bank politics.
