Loutolim farmers demand justice in long-pending tenancy disputes

Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai with the farmers of Loutolim led by Association president Alberto Pinheiro.

Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar

MARGAO
Farmers from the villages of Carbot, Cantor, Macasana, and Bebdo in Loutolim have called for urgent government intervention to resolve long-pending tenancy disputes related to khazan lands.

In a memorandum submitted to Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, members of the Carbot, Cantor, Macasana and Bebdo Tenants Association pointed out that the legitimate cultivators and their heirs are yet to get the tenancy rights, many of whom have been farming these lands for generations.

The farmers’ memorandum detailed several cases where cultivators and their heirs, despite submitting necessary affidavits, tenancy forms, and legal documentation, have been denied tenancy status by the current comunidade managing committee. Many of these cases are over two decades old, with hearings delayed repeatedly through appeals and procedural objection.

Addressing the media after receiving the memorandum, Sardesai described the situation as a grave injustice and criticised the prolonged bureaucratic delays in implementing the Goa, Daman and Diu Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1964. “This Act was introduced by Goa’s first Chief Minister, Bhausaheb Bandodkar, to grant rights to the farmer. In this case, the comunidade, which was once the landlord, is no longer the owner under the law. The tenant is the deemed owner of khazan land,” Sardesai said.

He announced that he would be raising the issue in the upcoming Assembly session and demanded that all pending tenancy cases in Loutolim be disposed of within three months. “We want justice immediately. We cannot allow land that has been cultivated peacefully for decades to be grabbed. The Mamlatdar must be directed to resolve these cases without further delay,” he said.