PANAJI
The State government is contemplating yet another effort to legalise houses built on lands belonging to Comunidades less than a year after it aborted an earlier attempt through the controversial and a wider ‘Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill’.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who was addressing a post-cabinet press conference on Wednesday said the Comunidade bodies will be taken into confidence while tweaking the laws to grant protection to houses built by Goans on the land of these bodies.
Sawant also indicated that the government is actively considering tweaking the statute governing the Comunidades to grant this protection to the houses of native Goans many of which are facing action from the managing committees of these bodies across Goa.
He stressed to explain, however, that it will not regularise any of the slums.
Sawant also said, that the solution and what changes must be made in the law will be arrived at by taking these Comunidades into confidence.
He said, the move is not to regularise slums but to grant protection to houses constructed by ‘niz Goenkars’.
“Almost 500 houses in Canacona and 150 in Saligao have been issued demolition notices as they are built on Comunidade land,” Sawant said, adding that if people have letters issued by the Comunidade, it will be accepted.
Pointing out that in some places like Canacona, Saligao and Pernem nearly 70 to 80 per cent of the houses in Comunidade areas were of locals, Sawant said the State government is thinking of protecting them.
Sawant’s comments on the issue came after queries were raised by journalists at the press conference regarding houses on Comunidade land which were facing demolition.
Sawant said, at present there are about 500 houses in Canacona and 150 to 200 houses in Saligao which are on Comunidade land and facing action.
The issue of legalising residential structures in Comunidade land has been hanging fire for over two decades and multiple attempts by past governments have either failed or were aborted, the most recent being the Bhumiputra Bill.
Although the Bill was passed by the Assembly, it was allowed to lapse without becoming a law after widespread protests across the State had the ruling BJP government facing allegations of protecting migrant slums for vote bank politics.
Meanwhile, at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Sawant said, it was decided that the ‘Vikas Bharat Yatra’ will be taken to all the village panchayats in Goa. The goal is to create awareness in the villages of all the existing government schemes and how people can avail them.
