THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
The Opposition party has asked for a judicial enquiry into all the cases of land-grabbing in Porvorim that have led to a loss for the state exchequer.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters, Congress president Girish Chodankar also said on Thursday that the party demanded that an FIR needed to be registered by the police in these cases, that the Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte initiate immediate action under Article 371 of the Code of Communidade, and that government servants involved in land grab frauds be suspended immediately.
Congress spokesperson Trajano D'Mello meanwhile listed at least five cases in which he alleged illegalities and involvement of Khaunte.
In the first case, Rakhi Sandeep Salgaonkar, wife of present sarpanch Sandeep Salgaonkar, who was the then panch, grabbed land of 500 square meters, with a market value of nothing less than Rs 70 lakhs, said D'Mello. D'Mello went on to allege that she had forged documents in her name.
"Under RTI, we have found that the administrator of Communidade has made it very clear that no plot has been allotted to Rakhi Salgaonkar or her husband who had already planned to build a house there though the allotment is disputed in court," said D'Mello.
The second case raised by the Congress is of a government servant who was an attorney, Peter Martins, whom the party says is a strong supporter of Khuante. The third case in the Succor Panchayat, is of a license renewed in the Communidade plot to a dead person. The fourth case is of Dilip Parulekar. Despite a High Court order to reverse that land, Khaunte is not interfering. And the fifth case is of 70,000 square meters in Porvorim amounting to more than Rs 200 crores being allotted to Madhukar Narvekar.
"Narvekar claims he was allotted the land during Portuguese rule (1958). He has certified copies. But there are no land records from that time," said D'Mello.
The Congress has also stressed that they will investigate these cases when they come to power even if the Minister involved in backing these cases is a part of their government. "The truth will find a way," said Chodankar when asked about this.
