The only similarity between Chicalim’s Bernard Costa andNanachipani’s Hanuman Aroskar is that both are losing their land under the LandAcquisition Act 1894 for development of airports. The difference ends there.While greed and a lopsided compensation policy favoured Bernard Costa not onlygetting handsomely paid for his ‘family land’ that he wanted to preserve as a‘son of the soil’, the same policy denied Hanuman Aroskar and scores of farmerslike him getting suitably compensated for a land that they used to till to feedGoa.
While Bernard Costa’s land, meant for expansion of airportparking, was a low lying barren land with illegal squatters and slums, HanumanAroskar’s land are paddy fields and plantations that had been tilled overgenerations. The former is uses the land to develop prime real estate propertywhile the latter is fighting for a farmer’s right to produce crops. “Thestate’s compensation policy needs serious relook, We are working on a policythat will incorporate revision of rates, stake for the land holder in theproject, rights over certain space, employment etc.” says Anthony D’Souza, OSDto the Revenue Minister. Not that government cannot offer higher rates. It had,in 2006 case of Colvale Housing Board, enhanced the rates from Rs. 18 to ashigh as Rs. 90. However in Mopa’s case, the land officer cannot enhance themarket rates to match government’s compensation because the rates have not beenrevised since 2003.
Bernard Costa was aspecial invitee to the meeting of February 14, 2011 where the fate of his landwas not only decided but half of his land given back to him. Hanuman Aroskarhas had no such luck. Aroskar says “Neither Dhargal MLA Babu Azgaonkar nor PernemMLA Rajendra Arlekar, is giving us justice”. Justice and fair-play in Goa ismiles apart, if you live in upmarket Dabolim and ‘hinterland’ Mopa.
