Nearly every successive government in Goa, irrespective of the party, has a common conspiracy to destroy comunidades and usurp their land illegally. Nearly every Revenue minister of Goa has publicly declared that illegal constructions on comunidade land should be legalized, without any authority of law.
When both the BJP and Congress went to town ahead of the elections promising special status to Goa, they stand exposed on the hypocrisy that they are destroying everything Goan, including the village communities and their lands, which constitute the core of Goanness.
After the sustained assault on Serula Comunidade in which Tourism Minister is alleged to have appropriated a plot at throwaway price and appointment of Officer on Special Duty by the BJP government in complete violation of the Code of Comunidades, now the focus has shifted to the Tivim Comunidade which saw hectic illegal constructions ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, after announcements were made regarding legalizing illegal houses on comunidade land.
The comunidades are clearly private communitarian bodies ~ and their lands are perfect property ~ which are not constituted under any government legislation and hence are not subjects of the government. The government has no authority to legalise illegal constructions on comunidade land under any circumstances. Instead it has to perform the role of guardianship and fulfill its contractual obligations of protecting comunidades and not destroy them. The Tivim Comunidade is fighting the migrants who have indulged in massive illegal constructions, despite orders from the High Court of Bombay at Goa. For this, the buck stops with the deputy collector north and the administrator of comunidades Bardez who have failed to demolish the illegal structures. Voluminous correspondence has been done by the new Tivim Comunidade Committee and the present Panchayat to demolish the illegal structures which have shot up from three to around 60 as of date.
There are allegations against both the previous NCP MLA and the current BJP MLA that the migrants are brazenly settling on Goan community lands with their blessings. Similarly, the previous Comunidade committee members are accused of being in league with the deputy/additional director’s courts, for not having given a single demolition order, and deputy collector and administrator of comunidades Bardez, leaving it only to the High Court to force executive action for demolition. Even then the deputy collector also incharge of the demolition squad at North Goa has not acted, making him liable to contempt of court.
This shows shocking audacity of migrants to illegally occupy land which is not theirs even as thousands of Goans are desperately looking to buy affordable land. The sordid conspiracy of local MLAs, in league with the directorate of panchayats, some committee members, administrator of comunidades and migrants dalals are selling away the land of Goa in broad daylight. Revelations by Tivim Comunidade President that migrants call the police when their members go to the site, is alarming, since illegal occupants themselves have become masters of the land. The blame lies squarely on Goan politicians who have now become property brokers in their constituencies, and various other locations including Mopa and selling Goa to outsiders, or looting comunidades which are sitting ducks for their insatiable greed.
Comunidade land can only be leased and can never be sold. The ancient institutions are a model of communitarian living and governance. But the selfish political class can hardly see beyond their short term greed and aggressively protect issues for ‘Greater Common Good.’ This greed of politicians and citizens will collectively destroy Goa in the long run and leave future generations as strangers in their own land.
The ruling BJP and Congress have to stop fooling people with pious platitudes of special status and special packages from the Centre. They should stop all loot of comunidade land and severely castigate their own MLAs usurping comunidade land and banish illegal occupants — whether committee members, their relations, locals or migrants, with fast track decisions.
