The illegal grabbing of lands is a pandemic infised with a cruel virus. Of brazen and brutal powerplay over defenceless Goans
The government has also displayed some seriousness about the issue by immediately establishing Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further probe the matter. The authorities have also frozen the process in some of the land related cases. However, the government must understand that the topic is not limited to the complaints.
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The universe of land grabbing is beyond the 93 odd complaints in public domain. If someone is illegally and forcefully trying to extort lands belonging to Goans then it’s the government’s prime responsibility to help original owners have ownership of their own lands.
The core intent of government should be to give justice to the original owners through investigation.
Political parties too have a role to play. Everyone is of the opinion that Goa must be protected and safeguarded. But nor ancestral land or properties of their forefathers are getting robbed. We don’t hear them join this issue forcefully.
There is another way of looking at this. The system of landlords and their tenants (Kul Mundkar system) as well as other government lands which authorities had given under different terms for farming needs to be looked at. If that is taken into consideration then how is it even possible to sell Goan lands?
The law clearly states that the plot received under Kul Mundkar law can never be sold. How did the government give its approval to such purchase deeds? The responsibility is of Deputy Registrar to check the type of land ownership whenever a purchase deed of Kul Mundkar estate comes through.
The post is not reserved only to collect fees. The duties also include ensuring the legality of such dealings. Nonetheless, the Deputy Registrar’s post is reduced to just collecting fees when such dealings have political and governmental protection. The officials in such posts also do not want to face frequent transfers and quietly proceed as they are told.
The reasons for destruction behind Goa, Goans and ‘Goan-ness’ are complex yet simple. Although Goans sold their lands to non-Goans, the local government also let it happen instead of questioning these dealings. This proves that no Goan government to date cared enough to safeguard the essence of Goa.
Sadly land belonging to sons and daughters of the soil, or homes where generations have grown up and passed on, are no longer a safe asset. When lands are robbed, the loss is beyond material. It cuts the soul.
Herald has been relentless in its campaign against this blatant land grab that is on in Goa. It is now that the Chief Minister had admitted that even government land has not been spared. If the government already knew how deep was the malice (which is obvious), why it did not act for so long is a question the top leadership of the State has to answer.
The malice is so deep rooted that there is no scope for even human empathy here. The dead have been invoked to sign fake land deals, a visually challenged person is thrown out of his home by goons, which is then demolished using earth mover.
This is not the Goa world recognises. Few rotten apples can’t damage the reputation of entire State. It is the collective responsibility of each one of us to not just fight to protect our identity but also our ethos.
