PANAJI
Through an amendment to the existing Article 70 of the Code, the government proposes to give itself powers to dismiss managing committees of Comunidades after preliminary enquiries into allegations of wrongdoing.
It states: "That pending inquiry in terms of the, the Government may suspend the managing committee when after preliminary inquiry it is found prima facie that its performance is against the interest of the Comunidades."
Included in the proposed amendment is a provision which seeks to disqualify individual gaunkars who are accused of illegal encroachment on the Comunidade's land from contesting elections to any post of the managing committee.
It proposes to amend Article 29 of the Code by inserting a fresh sub-article which states thus: "Those members (components) against whom there is a complaint for encroachment on the land of Comunidade, unless the offender proves his occupation by a lawful grant, he shall be debarred from contesting for election until he surrenders the land encroached upon."
‘Zonn’ rights to women proposed:
Finally, Goa's Comunidades are set to accommodate women with the amendments proposed by the government providing for granting joneiro rights to women, albeit as an inheritance from a deceased male member of their family.
Following the death of a zonnkar, the amendment proposes that his widow, unmarried daughters/orphans and dependent mother shall be eligible for 'zonn'.
The amendment states: "Wife of late late zonnkar, unmarried daughters, orphans and dependent mother shall be eligible for zonn in their widowhood or during the period they remain unmarried or register as members in their own capacity on attaining the required age or being no longer dependent."
