Captured by : Margao Package
Photo caption.
The Davorlim land which was acquired by the government for the proposed multi-purpose utility project is now sought to be utilised to house Margao schools.
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Government’s plans to shift the Margao schools to the acquired land on the outskirts of the city in neighbouring Davorlim have raised many a question amongst local villagers. While the government has laid bare its plan to shift the city schools on the 1.5 lakh sq mtrs of acquired land, villagers say their request for a small piece of the acquired land admeasuring 5,000 sq mtrs for waste segregation has fallen on deaf ears. Villagers also raised the question whether the government is justified to hand over the acquired land to the educational institutions from neighbouring Margao when the authorities are silent on the village infrastructural needs, Guilherme Almeida reports
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It was around half-a-decade when the Digambar Kamat regime had literally bulldozed its way to acquire the Davorlim land for a multi-purpose utility project, when local villagers opposed tooth and nail the government’s move, blaming then PWD minister and former Navelim MLA Churchill Alemao behind the land acquisition. They contended that the comunidade land in question belonged to their ancestors and was reserved to meet the housing needs of the predominantly Scheduled Tribe community inhabiting the village. When all attempts had failed to block the land acquisition, villagers then demanded that the acquired land be utilised for the infrastructural needs of the local populace, including a community hall, home for the aged, a sport complex, land for the Holy Cross to build a chapel et al.
Inquiries with Davorlim village panchayat has revealed that villagers had not only opposed the land acquisition, as evident by the host of general body and gram sabha resolutions, but later proposed a slew of projects on the acquired land when the Congress government took possession of the land against their wishes. So far, however, not a single project mooted by the villagers has taken concrete shape on the acquired land. That’s not all. Leave alone these projects, Davorlim village panchayat’s request to release land admeasuring 5,000 sq mtrs for waste segregation in a bid to overcome the burning garbage menace staring the village, has not found favour with the district authorities.
Davorlim Sarpanch Tulsidas Desai says: "The panchayat body has asked for land admeasuring 5,000 sq mtrs for waste segregation, but there’s still no reply from the district authorities. Local villagers had also called for allocation of 5,000 sq mtrs for the Holy Cross Chapel on the hillock to celebrate the traditional litany and mass, but nothing has moved till date."
Tulsidas recalled that then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was in favour of setting up a sports complex on the acquired land, but the proposal did not find favour with the bureaucrats over the topography. “After inspection of the land by Parrikar, Chief Secretary had visited the area, only to veto the utilisation of the land for the sports city given the hilly nature of the acquired land," he said.
Attorney of Davorlim Comunidade, Sylvester Niasso said the land in question belonged to the ancestors of the local residents. “We have nothing against the government proposal to shift schools in the village. But, the government should meet the infrastructure requirements of the village. As land is scarce, where will Davorlim villagers go if they want land to set up a project in future," Niasso asked.
Initially, then district Collector G P Naik had mooted acquisition of land admeasuring 1.20 lakh sq mtrs, but the area was later restricted to 1.15 lakh sq mtrs during the stage of publication of Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act.
“It was a long standing desire to have a multi-purpose utility project in South Goa to cater to the needs of all the inter-linked as well as independent projects for the overall development of the society, wherein the needs of the individuals from educational, social and cultural aspects can be catered."
It’s a fact that Davorlim villagers want the acquired land in question to meet their infrastructural needs. Initially, the villagers had asked for a community hall, but I have managed to build a Sanskruti Bhavan in the village under the ST scheme. I am aware that Davorlim panchayat had asked the district Collector to allot 5,000 sq mtrs of land for waste segregation.
Though I did not make any promise during the election to return the land if elected, I am of the firm view that the acquired land ought to be first utilised to meet the requirements of the local community. I had promised a sports complex on the acquired land after coming to power, but the proposal did not find favour with the government due to the topography of the acquired land.
I will discuss the matter with Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and impress upon him to ensure that land required for the local community is allocated first to meet the local infrastructure.
I will soon call a meeting of the panchayat body to discuss the government plan to utilise the acquired land to house Margao schools in the village. “The body will deliberate on the matter and if required will call for a special gram sabha to take a call," he said.
It is indeed surprising that when the local village panchayat is finding difficult to get even 5,000 sq mtrs of the acquired land to solve the burning garbage problem facing the State, the entire acquired land is sought to be utilised to house the educational institutions from outside the village.
It is not clear whether the government has carried out any study whether the existing village infrastructure, including the roads, will meet the huge requirements when many schools are relocated at one place.
