SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: United Goans Democratic Party President, Dr Jorson Fernandes on Monday stated that the Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill 2021, hastily passed in the Goa assembly, must awaken all genuine Goans to condemn and reject it outright as its avowed objective is to bestow rights to encroachers to grab land from landlords.
He said that the vast majority of beneficiaries are migrants residing in Goa for at least 30 years.
Dr Jorson alleged that this is sheer vote-bank politics Bill piloted by Taleigao-based Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate, aimed at granting ownership rights to migrants with 30 years of domicile in Goa.
"It says that the encroachers shall not be evicted from the dwelling occupied by them and the dwelling unit shall not be demolished during the pendency of any proceedings under the Act. This has been cunningly designed mainly to protect the migrants against the Goans as they would be given house numbers officially", he further alleged.
He said this is a backdoor entry for the migrants to usurp the communidade, private land, and most importantly to grab the property officially from the genuine landowners and give it to the encroachers.
Terming it as Bhumiputra itself is the biggest insult heaped on the peace-loving and civilised Goans as the word means son or daughter of the soil.
Allowing non-Goans to come into the mainstream voting would finally enable the present dispensation to remain in power in the future by hook or crook and disfigure Goa, he cautioned.
"Goans must discard the Susegado attitude, wake up before it is too late and realise that the soil beneath its feet is being washed away. Merely by inserting few years of residence or domicile, one cannot convert a non-Goan into Goan", said UGDP president.
Stating that the title is misleading and insulting to the local Goans, he said, “It is a murder of democracy and election engineering, as some have pointed out”. We need new freedom fighters for Goa, summed up Dr Jorson.
