Special Status for Goa
Everette Telles
This refers to the news report “CM petitions Centre on Special Status” (Herald, Dec. 28, 2012) requesting Goa be given “special status” citing the large scale purchase of land by foreigners and corporates.
At the time of Goa’s accession to India in 1961, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had promised that Goa would retain its distinct identity. The Government of India had promised the people that Goa would be consulted on any decision to be made about its territory. An all party representation must be made to the Centre on the urgent need to grant “special status” to Goa before it losses its prized identity with the fast changing demographic profile of the State.
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The Government of Goa under the auspices of the then ruling MGP party held a referendum, confident of winning a merger with Maharashtra. The MGP was exposed during the Opinion poll.
Subsequently following the referendum a movement was formed to protect the unique identity and culture of the state and its main task was to pursue the initiative of obtaining special status to Goa by getting Article 371 of the Indian Constitution amended to preserve the identity of the state, on par with the north eastern states. The request for “special status” with special financial privileges was a step in the wrong direction and detracts from the main aspirations of the movement.
A wave of new settlers pampered by politicians to create their own vote banks emerged, that threatened the very fabric and ethos of Goan identity and culture. To this day their numbers are burgeoning exponentially which could lead to a demographic change in the profile of the State.
Rich people from other states have acquired plots and villas; celebrities from various fields have second homes in Goa thus making it impossible for locals to buy land in their own homeland.
The other factor which necessitates special status for Goa, is the high level of corruption that has affected land usage. Land owners are coerced by politicians to sell their land, on threat it will be acquired by the government. This in turn made land prices soar.
Goa being small and already overwhelmed by the real estate industry that has penetrated into villages, wreaking havoc to the fragile infrastructure existing there, needs protection.
“Special Status” for Goa would mean a curb on sale of agricultural land for commercial purposes; control over the exploitation of various resources; protection of cultural ethos and of special laws of succession, marriage et al contained in the Common Civil Code followed in Goa.
