Despite action in North Goa, ambiguity prevails in South district over moves by authorities to enforce the apex court ruling against unauthorised dwellings
MARGAO
Amidst the ongoing election process to elect Managing Committees of Comunidade bodies in South Goa for the triennium 2025-28, components of Comunidade bodies have been left to wonder whether the South district administration has drawn up any plans to implement the Supreme Court order against illegal and unauthorised dwellings on comunidade land.
For, it’s now a fortnight since the Additional Collector-II North Goa, Pravin Parab, issued a memorandum to the Comunidade Administrators and Revenue Officials in the North Goa division to implement the top court’s directions against illegal constructions on Comunidade land.
The North Goa Additional Collector’s memorandum was based on the circular issued by the Under Secretary, Revenue-I, dated October 18, 2024, seeking action against the illegal constructions on Comunidade and government land.
In the memorandum, Parab had directed the Administrator of Comunidades, Central Zone, Panaji, the Administrator of Comunidades, North Zone, Mapusa, as well as the Deputy Collector and SDO, Tiswadi, Deputy Collector and SDO-I, Bardez, Deputy Collector and SDO-II, Bardez, Deputy Collector and SDO, Bicholim, Deputy Collector and SDO, Sattari, and Deputy Collector and SDO, Pernem to implement the Supreme Court Judgment and take action for the removal of illegal and unauthorised dwellings on Comunidade and government land in the manner provided under the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, and the Goa Land (Prohibition on Construction) Act, 1995. The memorandum further directed these authorities to submit the action taken report for each of the cases to the office of the Additional Collector-II North Goa at the end of every month.
Against this backdrop, components of South Goa Comunidades under the banner of the South Goa Comunidade Forum questioned why similar directions have not been issued by the office of the South Goa District Collector.
Members of the Forum have decided to pursue with the office of the South Goa District Collector whether any such directions have been issued to the Comunidade and Revenue officials or whether the directions have been restricted only to the North Goa district.
Forum member Savio Correia said the Comunidade components have been waiting for some time now for the South Goa district authorities to issue directions to the South Goa Administrator of Comunidade and the Deputy Collectors in South Goa to implement the Supreme Court judgment and remove the illegal structures from Comunidade land.
“We do not know whether the South Goa District Collector or the Additional Collectors have issued directions on the lines of their North Goa counterparts and if they have not been issued, then what are the reasons behind the delay,” Correia said.
He added: “The South Goa Comunidade Forum will formally write a letter to the South Goa Collector in a day or two, seeking to know the status of the implementation of the Supreme Court directions in South Goa district.”
When 'The Goan' called up a senior district administration official to shed light on the issue, the official said the matter would be discussed at a meeting before a decision is taken on how to go about it.
