MARGAO
As the Goa government prepares to observe the Cuncolim Chieftains Uprising Commemoration Day on July 15 to commemorate the historic 1583 Cuncolim revolt against the colonial powers, Cuncolkars are grappling with growing anxiety over the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records' proposed NAKSHA land survey inquiry, scheduled to begin on July 16.
So far, the Pramod Sawant-led government has not intervened to either halt the survey exercise or keep it on hold.
In fact, in a last-minute effort to secure a postponement, a delegation from Cuncolim on Tuesday met PWD Minister Digambar Kamat, urging the government to keep the survey on hold until adequate awareness is created and clarity is provided on its implications for local residents.
The delegation, comprising Sociedade Agricola dos Gauncares de Cuncolim e Veroda Chairman Shaba Desai, former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes, Yatin Talaulikar, Irineu Coutinho, Ivon Azavedo and Edwin Rebello, highlighted widespread concerns over the survey, particularly among residents who lack title or ownership documents for the land they occupy.
This marks the second occasion on which representatives from Cuncolim have appealed to the government to defer the NAKSHA survey. The proposed exercise has triggered panic among locals, with survey personnel asking residents to produce land ownership records, including title deeds and Form I & XIV documents, raising fears about the future of properties where such records are unavailable.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Sociedade Chairman Shaba Desai said a large number of residents do not possess title deeds or ownership records.
"The Sociedade Agricola Gauncares dos Cuncolim de Veroda own nearly 70 per cent of the land in Cuncolim. Many people are approaching us with queries because they are uncertain about the survey. They do not know whether the existing land records will continue or be replaced. People occupying Sociedade land often have only lease agreements and may have constructed houses on that basis. They do not possess ownership documents," Desai said.
He cautioned the government to handle these fragile historical properties with care rather than embarking on a legal nightmare that will push native Goans into endless litigation. Desai also questioned the government's decision to commence the survey without first conducting a public awareness campaign.
Former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes said the Minister assured the delegation that he would examine the concerns raised and explore a solution. "Due to historical reasons, many residents do not possess title or ownership documents. The proposed NAKSHA survey has created fear and uncertainty among the people. We have requested the government to postpone the survey inquiry, remove the prevailing panic and launch an awareness campaign so that people clearly understand the exercise before it begins," Gomes said.
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UrPro card fears grip homeowners
MARGAO: A common question making the rounds in Cuncolim is whether homeowners and occupants stand to lose their rights over ancestral houses and properties as the ongoing NAKSHA survey gathers pace.
The apprehension stems from survey personnel reportedly asking residents to produce documents such as Form I & XIV, sale deeds, property plans and other ownership records. This has triggered concerns among householders over whether those unable to furnish these documents—for whatever reason—could be denied Urban Property (UrPro) cards or risk losing their rights over properties occupied by their families for generations.
Residents say the government has so far failed to adequately address these concerns, only fuelling suspicion over the actual objective of the NAKSHA survey.
Former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes said public anxiety has been heightened by the recently enacted Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Act, 2024, with many fearing that the survey could be used to identify and take over ancestral properties deemed "vacant" or unattended.
Gomes alleged that the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR) has not made public the primary drone survey data, ground-truthing records or the proposed ownership entries.
"Property owners are being forced to defend their titles blindly without knowing what the government has recorded against their properties," he said.
He also argued that the timelines prescribed under the survey process impose an unreasonable burden on thousands of Goans living and working abroad, as well as on legal heirs whose ancestral properties continue to be recorded in the names of previous generations.
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Residents question absence of pre-inquiry exercise in Margao
MARGAO: As personnel engaged by the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records continue to carry out the NAKSHA survey in Cuncolim, going door to door, questions are being raised over the apparent lack of a similar exercise in the Margao municipal area.
Residents pointed out that survey teams have been visiting households in Cuncolim, distributing and collecting survey forms along with supporting land documents ahead of the survey inquiry scheduled to commence on July 16.
However, sources said no such door-to-door exercise has been witnessed in Margao, even though the NAKSHA survey inquiry for both the Margao Municipal Council and Cuncolim Municipal Council areas is slated to begin on the same day, July 16, at the Directorate's office at the Osia Commercial Complex in the Old Market, Margao.
The perceived disparity has prompted residents to question why the survey is being implemented differently in the two municipal areas.
"If survey personnel have been going door to door in Cuncolim over the last two days to collect duly filled survey forms and supporting documents before the inquiry begins on July 16, why is a similar exercise not being carried out in Margao?" sources asked.
