MAPUSA
The Goa government should revisit and redraft the Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill, Ports Minister Michael Lobo said on Thursday, while suggesting that the bill should be reintroduced, discussed and debated in the State Legislative Assembly.
Lobo also requested the Goa governor not to give assent to the bill in the present form. “We should relook and redraft the bill. I request the governor to send the bill back to study. I told the chief minister that the bill cannot go forward in the present form,” Lobo said, while expressing confidence that the Chief Minister will definitely revisit the bill.
“If we have erred in drafting the bill then we should make changes. There is nothing wrong to accept a mistake,” he added.
The Ports Minister was addressing a gathering while paying tribute to Goa’s first chief minister late Bhausaheb Bandodkar in Calangute. Calangute Sarpanch Shawn Martins and other leaders were also present.
The Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill stoked controversy from day 1 after experts and the civil society picked holes in the bill and questioned the motive of the government in tabling the bill in the election year.
Several people also objected to the word “Bhumiputra” in the bill and requested the chief minister to drop the word from the bill.
The avalanche of criticism from across Goa, forced Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to clarify on the nuances of the bill.
The Ports Minister said the majority of the Goans opposed the bill as they feared that their land would go to encroachers.
“We will not allow injustice to be done to Goans,” he said.
Paying rich tributes to Goa’s first CM, Lobo said, late Bhausaheb Bandodkar did yeoman service in the educational field and his ‘kul mundkar’ law gave land rights to the marginalised.
“Bandodkar was truly one of the tallest leaders Goa has produced. We need to carry forward his legacy,” he said.
