PANAJI
A day after comunidades raised a red flag to the State government’s proposal to legalize illegal structures on comunidade-owned land, the Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate has questioned comunidade’s inaction against the illegal houses, which have been existing for more than 15-20 years.
“We will have to see who was sleeping all this while when the illegal houses were built. Was it the government or comunidade?” Monserrate questioned.
The Minister said that these so-called “illegal” structures have been existing on communidade owned land for more than 15-20 years.
“So what was Comunidades doing all this time? Why didn't they act? Were they sleeping?” he questioned further.
Stating that the issue needs to be resolved through some “compromise”, Monserrate said that “ultimately all are Goans”.
“Who are outsiders? How to distinguish? Who doesn’t have a 15-year domicile certificate today? So, you become Goan. Some compromise has to be done,” he said.
During the Comunidade Convention 2024 held on Sunday, the Minister announced to expedite the regularization process.
However, this did not go down well with the Gaonkars who raised their strong objection to legalizing the illegal structures stating that it would be against the Court verdicts.
The convention adopted a resolution which called for deliberations and recommendations to address illegal constructions and encroachments on comunidade lands and to prevent such illegalities in future.
