Team Herald
PORVORIM: The House on Friday witnessed a major uproar over the alleged illegal systematic sell-off of nearly 50 lakh sq meters of land by the Zuari Agro Chemicals Limited (ZACL), which had purchased the property, way back in 1971 from Sancoale Comunidade for industrial purpose. Bowing down to the pressure from the opposition, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured to keep the sale deeds and sanads, pertaining to the said land, on hold until the legal opinion is received.
As the opposition termed it as a major land scam pegged at Rs 50,000 crore, the Chief Minister also said that if required the matter would be handed over to the Special Investigating Team (SIT) dealing with illegal land grab cases. Sawant said that the legal opinion on the sale deed between Sancoale COmmunidade and ZACL is under the scrutiny of the Law department as well as the Advocate General, whose detailed opinions are expected within a month's time.
“Till then, I assure House to keep on hold sale deeds and sanads of the land under question, on hold,” Sawant said adding that as per the Comunidade Code the land is transferable and in 1989, ZACL had sold part of its land to Goa Housing Board.
Congress MLA Michael Lobo and GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai along with other opposition MLAs led a scathing attack on the government over their failure to act in the alleged illegal sale of land by ZACL to M/s Paradeep. They pointed out that the ZACL has converted entire land into small plots and is being sold. They also said that a mega residential project with 1800 flats is also proposed on the said property.
“The major question here is, how can an industrial plot be transferred? Does the Comunidade Code have a provision for this? What is the action that the government will take,” Lobo questioned as he demanded that the government should immediately stop the sale of plots and revert back the land to Comunidade.
He also brought to the notice of the House that the Prime Minister’s Office in 2020 had taken cognizance of a complaint filed on the alleged land scam by Zuari and sought a report from the Chief Secretary. “It's been two years now and the government is dragging its feet over submission of reply to PMO. This itself shows that there is something wrong,” Lobo said.
He was rightly backed by Sardesai who termed it as Rs 50,000 crore scam. He said that the sale of industrial land is against the spirit of land acquisition. The MLA pointed out that since the Assembly elections in March to date, a total of 35 sale deeds have taken place and the same needs to be stopped immediately pending the legal opinion.
Congress MLA Sankalp Amonkar and RG MLA Viresh Borkar charged that this is nothing but an attempt to regularize illegal constructions.
Responding to the questions, Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate said that the district collector has already been directed not to issue any Sanads as far as the land is concerned.