SURAJ NANDREKAR
PANJIM: The Department of Tourism as well as Goa Tourism Development Corporation is in litigation over 11 properties that have been encroached upon. While the department has litigation cases involving eight of its properties in Baga, Candolim and Colva, GTDC is fighting cases over three properties in Baga.
All these are prime properties in coastal areas, which have been encroached upon, say government officials. Sources in the GTDC reveal that lakhs of sq metres of land is under litigation, which has prevented the Corporation from taking up new projects.
Shockingly, the encroachers include former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes. Information with Herald reveals that Fernandes’ Hotel Silver Sands has encroached upon land measuring 975 sq metres in Candolim, in Survey No 146/1, 2,3-A,3-B,4,4-A and 148/5. The case is pending before the Administrative Tribunal in Panjim since 2014.
At Baga, a huge tract of land measuring 22,081 sq metres is stuck due to litigation before the Deputy Collector Mapusa. Sources reveal that one Peter Carvalho had purchased part of the land of 352 sq mt from Survey No 249/1 by a sale deed in 1996 and applied for mutation without sending notices to the Corporation.
In another case, land at Calangute has been encroached upon by Calangute Village Panchayat and JICA project labourers for which letters have been sent to VP Calangute and JICA offices in Altinho to vacate the land.
Besides, major chunks of land have been encroached upon in Colva in land that had been acquired for a project. According to information given by the department, the encroachers at Colva include Cocomar Resorts Pvt Ltd, Manuel Fernandes, Anthony Fernandes, Caitano Rodrigues and Libania Rodrigues.
While an interim stay on cases of Cocomar Resorts and Manuel Fernandes has been vacated by the Margao district court and the department is free to take action as deemed fit, the other cases are at different stages of litigation.
Also, GTDC is facing similar cases in properties in Baga wherein land has been encroached upon by the locals. Speaking to Herald, GTDC chairperson Nilesh Cabral said the corporation is trying hard to get rid of the encroachment in Baga.
“Since the cases are pending in the court nothing much can be done. But it is sad that thousands of sq metres of government land is stuck in litigation for years despite government being the rightful owner,” he said.
