FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
ALFRED FERNANDES
SANGUEM: It’s lose, lose situation for Selaulim evacuees. These evacuees who presently waiting for ages to get a agricultural and housing plots from government after sacrificing their land to build the Selaulim Dam, are bogged far deep into problems passing the Bhumitra Adhikarini Bill 2021 as it grant ownership of lands to people who have been in Goa for last 30 years and more. It is like rubbing salt to the injury, claimed a Selaulim Evacuee who has been waiting to grant a housing plot of land in view of the ancestral land which he sacrificed for paving way to the construction of Selaulim Dam.
Thus far government had a series of over 54 meetings but except for lengthy talks and assurances, most of the problems and issues plaguing Selaulim Evacuees continued to remain unresolved till date.
Unfortunately, with the passing of the Bhumitra Adhikarini Bill 2021, the government is inching closer to give occupancy rights of plots of land to people who came to work as labourers and drivers for the construction of the Selaulim Dam, claimed a evacuee Uday Deikar.
On the other hand, around 89 missing families who sacrificed their ancestral lands but missed from the primary list of Selaulim evacuees prepared by the Government will have to wait for another decade to get plots for residential needs, claimed another evacuee Manoj Paryekar.
The so called 89 missing families have been making representations since 1972 to the government for granting them agricultural and housing plots. Solution to their demands however keeps on getting postponed at every meeting of the Rehabilitation Committee on account of failure of the committee members to arrive at an appropriate solution to the matter.
Now under the Bhumiputra Bill 2021, the labourers and drivers who reside in the vicinity of the Selaulim Dam by encroaching on government lands will get the benefit of the plots in which they reside since last so many years. These are the same lands which the displaced Selaulim evacuees had forgone to pave way for the construction of Selaulim Dam. They will now become Bhumiputras but unfortunately the local evacuees who are in the missing list will have to continue to keep their fight on for grant of agriculture and housing plots, claimed Uday Deikar.
“Forty years and counting, the government has failed to grant us Class I status of the lands which were allocated to us at the time of displacement. Assurances given by the government and paper work involved in getting the issues resolved simply goes on piling with no concrete answer,” said Kushta Gaonkar. “There is no end to the many problems and issues faced by Selaulim evacuees. Despite the issue being continuously raised in Assembly by Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar during every session there is no proper follow up from the government side in getting the issue resolved, added Kushta Gaonkar.
There is sizeable chunk of open land at the Rehabilitation Colonies in Wadem Village and also at Valkini which if set free from encroachers. It would have been sufficient to settle the issue of 89 missing families. But the government has failed to tackle this issue. On the contrary, the issue of encroachment increased by each passing day and with the Government coming with the new law there is no way to make these illegal encroachers vacate the open government lands, which they have been in possession since last many years. The newly introduced Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill 2021 will give these encroachers a cover from eviction.
(Quotes from Dhiraj Harmalkar)
