CORTALIM
The controversial issue of extraction of mud/stones on Cortalim comunidade land has now revealed that even the Administrator of Comunidades (South Zone) was not taken into confidence at the time of extraction.
As per the documents in possession with The Goan, the administrator in his noting has clearly referred to the managing committee resolution of Cortalim Comunidade, “Inform the managing committee under which provision of the Code of Comunidade the managing committee granted NOC for extraction of mud.”
What is interesting is the fact while the managing committee passed the resolution on February 1, 2016, the said resolution was forwarded to the Administration office only on April 7, 2016, after an RTI query was filed in the Administration office by this correspondent on March 22, 2016.
When contacted, Comunidade Escrivao Shivdas Gawde said the delay was on account of the contractor's letter for extraction of mud, which had to be vetted.
“The contractor was asked to make some changes in his letter which led to the delay and hence, the resolution was forwarded to the administration office late,” claimed Gawde.
However, it is now quite certain that the extraction of mud was carried out on the Cortalim comunidade land much before the administrator was informed about the extraction.
The Cortalim Comunidade Attorney John Philip Pereira, when contacted for his comments after the extraction of mud in February, had said that the Administrator's approval was not required since the mud was for a national project, thereby indicating that comunidade assets which belonging to shareholders and gaunkars could be disposed off, without their approval.
In fact, the contractor was allowed to extract mud at Rs 15 (after compacting) per cubic meter which was without auctioning and much below the market rate.
