Matanhy flays KTC decision on land lease
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JULY 3
Goa’s former tourism minister Matanhy Saldanha has criticized Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL’s) decision to hand over prized lands to the private parties on lease.
“The State government instead of addressing the myriad issues facing the people has instead become land broker selling our land to the highest bidder,” he alleged.
In a letter to KTCL Chairman Deepak Dhavalikar, Saldanha expressed his unhappiness over the way the Corporation wants to make quick bucks by handing over its land to private parties.
“The government has been acquiring land for ‘public purpose’ but the real intent appears to be to hand over this land to private individuals,” he said.
“No government land should be leased or sold to any private individual or corporate house as these lands have been acquired at dirt cheap rates from the people of Goa to be used for their benefit and not to be handed over to somebody else to make profits,” he said pointing out that the land acquired by the government cannot be used for any purpose other than the one it was acquired for.
He asserted that the KTCL’s proposal to lease or sell its excess land should be opposed tooth and nail. “If the KTCL has excess land, it means that government has been acquiring land without proper application of mind as to how much is actually required,” he argued adding that the sacrifices made by Goans by giving their land for cheap prices has been a waste.
“The KTCL’s proposal needs a thorough study as on the one hand it is proposing to acquire additional land and at the same time claiming that it has excess land,” he said suggesting that the infrastructure sought to be developed on new land, be instead set up on the excess land available with them.
The present trend is to decongest towns and the KTCL land situated on the outskirts of the towns is ideal for setting up the new infrastructure instead of acquiring additional land, he suggested.
Besides, Saldanha questioned the KTCL’s wisdom in taking up office premises from real estate developers at Porvorim at an exorbitant rent instead of setting up the same office on its own land.
“In any case, while no land belonging to the KTCL should be given on lease or sold, no additional land should be acquired for KTCL, until and unless the land in its possession at present is utilized to the optimum,” he said.
Saldanha also opined that leasing or selling land is not a healthy way of increasing revenue. “Instead of taking such measures, the KTCL management would do well to cut its operating costs and utilize its facilities to the maximum,” he said.
