MARGAO
Ahead of the demarcation of the property acquired at Sonsodo for kabrastan for the Muslim community, Margao Municipal officials and the Goa police made its presence felt at Sonsodo to take stock of the situation.
The MMC officials and the Police team led by DySP Shivendu Bhushan, Fatorda Police station in-charge, PI Ditendra Naik apparently descended at Sonsodo to take stock of the situation ahead of the demarcation of the property admeasuring 30,000 square metres by surveyors roped in by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA).
When the MMC officials led by Municipal Engineer Manoj Arsekar, Assistant Engineer Vishant Naik and Jr Engineer Sajjan arrived at the spot, they had to face a simple question from a couple of persons at the site “ how would the inspection and demarcation team head to the property acquired for kabrastan, claiming the property has no access from the main road.
The MMC and Goa police team also came across a couple of boards installed at a property adjoining the Christian cemetery, categorically stating the property in question belongs to the Fabrica of Raia.
The person, who has claimed tenancy over the Fabrica property, questioned the MMC officials and the police how the GSUDA demarcation team will make it to the acquired property in the absence of access. They have demanded to know whether the Municipality or GSUDA have obtained permission from the owners of the adjoining properties to enter the acquired property.
MMC Assistant Engineer Vishant Naik maintained there’s no question of seeking permission from anyone since there’s an access shown in the plan to the acquired property. As discussions over the access to the acquired property took the centrestage, DySP Shivendu Bhushan suggested that the issue could not be resolved via demarcation. “Demarcation is the only way out to resolve disputes over access and property issues,” DySP Bhushan said, while seeking cooperation from all the parties for the demarcation exercise.
He added; “If there is no access to the kabrastan acquired property, the demarcation will unravel the factual situation. All should cooperate with the proposed demarcation to get to know the actual ground
situation.”
Another person from Raia pointed out that they have no issue to the issue of burial grounds on the acquired property, but hastened to add that no one has the right to trespass into the neighbours property to make it to the acquired property.
Given that the kabrastan issue has now come under the scanner of the High Court, the planned demarcation exercise has assumed importance in the light of the opposition to the burial grounds by the local populace around half-a-decade ago.
When the government had initiated a demarcation exercise a couple of years ago, the exercise had to be abandoned midway after local residents turned up in large numbers to oppose the kabrastan from coming up close to the existing cemetery.
The High Court, in a Public Interest Litigation, has set the time line for the construction and completion of the kabrastan at the Sonsodo acquired land, even issuing warnings to the government officials that the Court would haul them up for delay in the completion of the burial grounds.
