MARGAO
Margao Municipal Resolution No. 3808: This resolution adopted at the Margao Municipal Council meeting held on June 28, 2010 may be a subject matter of debate in the Court and outside on the vexed Kabrastan issue and may open Pandora’s box in the light of the demand to allot the acquired land at Sonsodo for all the three communities to set up burial grounds.
For, the Resolution No. 3808, which from the very base on which the Margao Municipal Council had gone about acquiring the land at Sonsodo admeasuring 30,000 square metres, gives an insight and the intent of the then City Fathers while acquiring the land in question for the burial grounds.
A bare perusal of the extract of the Ordinary meeting of the Margao Municipal Council dated June 28, 2010 shows that the then City Fathers had adopted a resolution on two issues. One, to acquire the land admeasuring 30,191 square metres at Sonsodo bearing Chalta No. 1 of PT Sheet No. 50 for the purpose of burial grounds for all the three communities.
The second part of the resolution spoke about acquiring the land at Aquem admeasuring 99,513 square metres for the Council’s community projects. Incidentally, while the first part of the resolution was given effect with the civic body acquiring the land in 2011, the civic body never showed any interest in implementing the second part of the resolution to acquire the Aquem land.
Post-land acquisition, the MMC resolution seemed to have been forgotten and consigned to the Municipal record books. For, the Margao Municipal Council on December 9, 2011 handed over the acquired land to the Muslim body, the Jamia Masjid, Malbhat for the management and maintenance of the Kabrastan.
With residents of Raia and neighbouring areas of Fatorda demanding the allocation of the acquired land at Sonsodo, the very resolution adopted by the Margao Municipal Council on June 28, 2010 has come into sharp focus and has become a subject matter for debate, throwing up a simple question “ whether the Sonsodo land was acquired by the civic body for the sole purpose of setting up a Kabrastan for the Muslim community or to meet the requirements of all the three communities.
Former Margao Municipal Chairperson, Savio Coutinho, who presided over the June 28, 2010 Council meeting, is categorical in saying the Council had passed the resolution with the objective to acquire the Sonsodo land to set up burial grounds for all the three communities. “I presided over the Council meeting as the Municipal Chairperson. The resolution has two parts, to acquire the land at Sonsodo as well as at Aquem with the objective to allot the land to the three communities. I have no idea how did the successive Council in 2011 hand over the land to the Muslim body for maintenance,” Coutinho said.
Margao Municipal councillor, Ganashyam Shirodkar, who was part of the Council that adopted the resolution on June 28, 2010, was categorical in saying the Council had passed the resolution with a one-point agenda, to acquire the land at Sonsodo and allot the land to all the three communities to set up their burial grounds. “How can MMC go against the letter and spirit of the very resolution on which the land was acquired for all the three communities,” Ganashyam questioned.
Says the intervenor in the High Court, Blaze Mota: “I have filed an intervening application in the High Court with a plea the acquired land is allotted to all the religious communities as per the Margao Municipal Council resolution.”
RAIA LOCALS WANT ACQUIRED LAND ALLOTTED TO ALL 3 COMMUNITIES
MARGAO: Asserting they are neither opposed to the demarcation of the Sonsodo acquired property nor against the burial grounds from coming up on the acquired land, Raia villagers have insisted that the Margao Municipality or the government allot the acquired land to all the three communities and carry out the demarcation exercise as per the rules in force.
“Let the Margao Municipal Council or Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) carry out the demarcation of the acquired property. We have no objection to the exercise. But, isn’t the duty and responsibility of the agencies to send notices to the adjoining land owners to be present for the demarcation exercise,” questioned former Raia Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes.
He said the villagers are also not opposed to the burial grounds at Sonsodo per se, but have insisted that the acquired land is allotted to all the three communities as per the MMC resolution. “If the Margao Municipality has acquired the land as per the Council resolution, it is incumbent on the Municipality to allot the acquired land for all the three communities,” he said.
Intervenor in the High Court in the PIL matter, Blaze Mota said the people have never opposed burial grounds at Sonsodo, but have been demanding the acquired land is allotted to all the three communities.
