Doubts persist: Will Mhaje Ghar end the 10-year Moti Dongor mess, and will settlers be covered or sent into a separate rehab package?
The hutments on comunidade land at Moti Dongor.
MARGAO
As Chief Minister Pramod Sawant prepares to launch the Mhaje Ghar scheme in Salcete on Wednesday, attention has turned once again to the illegal structures atop the migrant-inhabited Moti Dongor and Talsanzor hillock—land belonging to the Aquem and Margao Comunidade bodies.
The issue has become the centre of public debate in Margao, as questions are being raised in city circles whether the Mhaje Ghar scheme will finally draw the curtain on the decade-old saga involving these migrant colonies and lift the sword of Damocles that has hung over the residents since 2013.
Further questions are raised whether the government integrate these settlers under the Mhaje Ghar initiative, or will it announce a separate rehabilitation package for those affected by the 2013 demolition order issued by the South Goa Administrator of Comunidades?
Representatives of the Aquem and Margao Comunidades too face their own dilemma—how to prevent the government from taking over their prime land for migrant rehabilitation.
On the eve of Chief Minister’s visit, it remains unclear whether the migrants residing at Moti Dongor will avail benefits under the Mhaje Ghar scheme since the government has already begun the process of rehabilitating these inhabitants on the same site by initiating acquisition of the disputed land.
It is worth noting that the government is believed to have its submission along with the rehabilitation plan for these migrants before the High Court.
Another key aspect concerns the scope of the illegal constructions on Moti Dongor. Not all of the unauthorised structures stand on Comunidade land—reports indicate that several have been built on adjacent private plots or open spaces.
Revenue officials in-charge of Margao and surrounding areas seemed gearing up for the Mhaje Ghar scheme in Salcete. Sources said the authorities have printed hundreds of forms to facilitate the people to avail benefits of the scheme.
Margao, Aquem Comunidades vow to challenge scheme in High Court
MARGAO: The managing committee of the Margao and Aquem Comunidade bodies have vowed to challenge the Mhaje Ghar scheme in the High Court to stop the government from usurping comunidade land for migrant rehabilitation.
Attorney of Margao and Aquem Comunidade Celestin Noronha said Margao and Aquem Comunidade bodies are ready with their writ petitions to be filed in the High Court. “How can the government legalise the illegal structures located on the properties of these two comunidade bodies? Celestin questioned.
Moreover, he pointed out that the demolition of the illegal structures at Moti Dongor and Talsanzor is already pending before the High Court since the last one decade. “One thing is clear that these structures are all illegal as per the demolition order issued by the then Administrator of Comunidades in 2013. The only question that is left to be decided is when these structures will be removed from our Comunidade land,” Celestin said.
President of the Margao and Aquem Comunidade Savio Correia said that these two Comunidades will file their writ petitions in the High Court challenging the government law in the coming week. “Our lawyer has almost finalised the writ petition. The same will be filed in the coming week,” Correia added.
Migrants facing house demolition pin hope on govt scheme, rehabilitation
MARGAO: Nearly 12 years after the then Administrator of South Goa Comunidades, Sangeeta Naik, issued an order on April 5, 2013, directing the demolition of around 210 structures built on Aquem Comunidade land, the migrant residents now find themselves hoping—perhaps against hope—that either the Mhaje Ghar scheme or a government rehabilitation package will finally resolve their decade-old ordeal.
For the sword of Damocles has been hanging over the heads of these residents for years, particularly since the Administrator’s subsequent order of August 5, 2013, which not only called for the demolition of the structures but also mandated that the land be restored to its original condition within ten days.
However, the demolition never took place after the affected residents approached the High Court and secured a stay. Despite this reprieve, the threat of demolition has continued to loom large over the community.
A glimmer of hope emerged when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in his 2023 budget speech, announced plans to rehabilitate slum dwellers across the State—including those occupying illegal structures at Moti Dongor – thanks to the intervention of Margao MLA Digambar Kamat.
Following this announcement, the government constituted a high-level committee of officials to formulate a comprehensive rehabilitation plan, which includes land acquisition for resettlement purposes.
The only question that remains is whether the illegal structures at Moti Dongor will ultimately be legalised under the Mhaje Ghar scheme or whether the government will relocate and rehabilitate the migrant residents through a separate rehabilitation package.
