ELVINO ARAUJO
VASCO: The illegal hutments may have been removed from Baina beach, but the revelation that most of these huts had electricity and water meters has left many in the port town, including evicted migrants, demanding action against politicians and officials for facilitating these illegal connections.
While South Goa Collector Venancio Furtado said he would order a probe into the release of these electricity and water connections, locals have also demanded action against those authorities who have gone scot-free following the evacuation drive.
The South Goa collector had vacated the migrants from the illegal shanties which were barely metres from the Baina beach.
People in the port town reacted with anger after Herald highlighted that many of these huts had availed of house taxes and electricity/water meters.
“Politicians and authorities should also be taken to task for allotting house tax, water and electricity connections to these illegal huts,” said Anthony Fernandes of Vasco.
“The South Goa collector has assured to initiate action against the guilty officials. But it is left to be seen if and when action will be initiated and how many heads will roll from government departments and the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) for allowing these illegal huts and equipping them with water/electricity connections,” added Fernandes.
“Politicians are equally responsible for allowing these huts to crop up right at Baina beach and for using the migrants as their vote bank,” added Fernandes.
“What is more surprising is that the Karnataka government is dictating to us and some Kannadigas even had the audacity to burn an effigy of our chief minister. It is shocking that our politicians mere mute spectators to this entire episode and no one criticised the incident,” stated Fernandes.
Another resident, Ashok Shivram Desai, said the government should take action against the MMC staff for allowing the huts right within the high tide zone.
“If a local wants to legally construct a house or a flat, he is subjected to various documentations by the Vasco Planning and Development Authority, the MMC, health, water and electricity departments.”
“Even if all documents are in order, the permissions are delayed under one pretext or the other. But migrants can build their illegal huts anywhere and they get all permissions without any problems from different authorities,” Desai added.
Rosario Menezes also expressed shock that all government officials had provided these illegal huts with house taxes, ration cards, water and electricity connections.
“It is also surprising that the MMC technical staff did not even bother to measure the distance from the high tide level to the hut, before allowing the taxation department to give them the house tax,” added Menezes.
Angry sentiments were also voiced by the migrants who were evicted from their huts at Baina beach.
Yellava Lamani blamed the politicians and their local leaders for encouraging them to construct huts along the Baina beach.
“We also blame the various government authorities for turning a blind eye while we were allowed to construct the huts. Our leaders in Goa and Karnataka made a big noise about the demolition, but they failed to provide us with alternate shelter,” said Lamani.
“Some leaders from our Banjara community and some local politicians collected some cash and used Yemnappa Lamani to file a case in the High Court. But it was surprising that they withdrew the case without even arguing it before the court.”
“These people just use us for their personal gain and we were aware that all these illegal huts would have had to go, one day or the other. Our only grievance is that the government should have evacuated us in April or May, instead of evicting us during the monsoon,” said Yellava Lamani.
“Our situation is such that our children do not have a home to eat, sleep and do their studies, when they return from school. Since the last few days, our children have been eating and studying under some trees or in some other huts,” she added.
“Just as the government took strong action against us for constructing the huts within the high tide zone, the government should also initiate strong action against those politicians and government officials for allowing the illegal hutments. Action should also be taken against those locals who rented out the illegal huts,” said Yellappa Lamani.
