MARGAO/OLD GOA
Government’s plan to acquire 12 lakh square metres of Comunidade land for the proposed film city at Loliem was questioned when a delegation of Revolutionary Goans Party led by MLA Viresh Borkar submitted a memorandum to the officials of the South Goa Comunidade office on Tuesday.
The delegation submitted the memorandum with a plea to identify plots in comunidade land for local villagers/ Gauncars and people of Goan origin. While a delegation led by RGP president Manoj Parab submitted a memorandum to the Administrator of Comunidades (North).
A member of delegation in South Goa, Prashant Pagi wondered what locals will benefit in any manner if the film city takes shape on the 12 lakh square metres of comunidade land at Loliem when locals have no land for housing in the village.
After submitting the memorandum to an official in the absence of the Administrator, MLA Borkar told the media that there have been rampant encroachments on the comunidade land, but no action has been forthcoming from the authorities against the illegalities. “Scrapyards are mushrooming on comunidade and others lands. Outsiders are encroaching on the comunidade land for want of action by the office of the Administrator. Instances are galore when the courts have issued orders for removal of the illegal structures and encroachments, but somehow action is not forthcoming against the illegalities from the Comunidade Administrator’s office,” he said.
The memorandum reminded that the Comunidades of Goa were born out of Gauncari system (association of Gauncars) which were existing pre-Portuguese era and the land cumulatively donated by Gauncars, for Gauncars, for agriculture, housing purposes who are landless.
“We now demand the directives be issued by you to identify the plots for local villagers/ local Gauncars/Goan Origin of the State of Goa who are residing within their respective Comunidades prior to year 1961,” the memorandum demanded.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in North Goa, RGP president Parab informed that when RGP MLA Viresh Borkar demanded a survey of comunidade land for the benefit of Goans in the Assembly it was not provided. “If such a situation continues, then the remaining comunidade land will be grabbed by the migrants and the Goans will be left with no land for themselves,” Parab stated.
To a question on the recent comunidade convention in which women demanded representation, Parab said that the primary objective is to save whatever land is left of the comunidades.
Meanwhile, Parab came down heavily on the government for trying to legalise the illegalities of the migrants on comunidade land.
