Move signals growing pushback to ‘Mhaje Ghar’ scheme
MAPUSA
While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant continues to tour constituencies promoting the government’s flagship ‘Mhaje Ghar’ housing scheme, comunidades across Goa are increasingly voicing strong opposition to the move to regularise illegal houses built on comunidade land.
After the Guirim comunidade’s protest last Sunday, the Mapusa comunidade followed suit this weekend, unanimously resolving to challenge the recent amendment to the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 in the High Court.
“The gauncars have unanimously decided to file a petition in the High Court to challenge the amendment which seeks to legalise unauthorised houses constructed on comunidade land before 2014,” said Salvador Pinto, President of the Mapusa Comunidade.
The general body, which saw a large turnout of gauncars, also decided to study the petitions filed by other comunidades and prepare a fresh, comprehensive petition after taking detailed legal advice.
Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza was among those who attended the meeting and unanimously resolved to challenge the government’s amendment to Article 372-B of the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070.
Several gauncars raised objections to the government’s proposed rate of Rs 25 per square metre for regularisation, calling it “peanuts.”
They also questioned the rationale behind fixing 2014 as the cut-off year for eligibility under the amendment.
Pinto said the comunidade would proceed cautiously, ensuring that the legal challenge was well-drafted and covered all relevant aspects.
Apart from the legal issue, the general body also discussed several other matters, including proposals from Hindustan Petroleum and Reliance BP to set up petrol pumps on comunidade land in Mapusa.
The gauncars decided to proceed with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the petrol pumps, incorporating all necessary terms and conditions.
The meeting also took up budgetary provisions for setting up a lift in the comunidade building and installing a 200 KVA electrical transformer to improve the building’s infrastructure.
With the Mapusa comunidade joining the growing list of comunidades opposing the regularisation move, the government may face a statewide pushback from these traditional landholding bodies over its housing regularisation policy.
