leading to the foundation stone being laid, it is the Manohar Parrikar government which laid out the red carpet and the Parsekar government which paved it with gold to allow the contentious Leading Hotels to make good their purchase of the entire village, which clearly looks bad in law and now awaits a court judgment.
But the Parsekar government isn’t waiting for the court. It has dutifully endorsed Leading Hotels and its alleged illegalities in the Tiracol project land sale being argued in court
The Parsekar government has clearly displayed where its priorities lie. And it does not lie with the people of Goa. The Parsekar government has clearly displayed for whose land its love lies. And it does not lie with the lands of the tenants of Tiracol (as claimed by many tenants and outlined clearly through the findings of Goa Foundation which has managed to bring the issue of tenanted lands being fraudulently bought to the courts door). But it lies with the land Leading Hotels now claims as theirs, the land on which the new playground for the filthy rich will be made, a playground which will have an international golf course and luxury villas reeking of wealth.
The CM sings the job tune. Herald challenges him to specify at least hundred jobs with require a minimum of skill and the kind of wages the job holder will get. Simple question Mr Chief Minister, show us the jobs that the locals of Tiracol, including those whose lands you have allowed to be usurped, will be getting in the golf course and luxury villa project of Leading Hotels.
What is shocking, beyond compare, is the manner in which the Chief Executive of the State has almost insulted a professional inquiry conducted by a very upright IAS officer, instituted by the Chief Minister himself after an assurance was given to the court by the highest law officer of the government that the government would conduct an inquiry on the issue of tenancy in the Tiracol land purchase.
When we last checked Mr Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar was still the Chief Minister of Goa. Herald and many in Goa may be forgiven for thinking that Mr Parsekar had joined Leading Hotels as the CEO of their Tiracol project and this is why. Read the Chief Minister’s utterances after Herald took the lead in extensively reporting on the Sandeep Jacques fact finding report on Tiracol, which the CM wanted to hide. Here goes:
CM says: “Both the opposing parties were initially not happy with Jacques, as injury officer. They had submitted a memorandum saying that he will not conduct an impartial injury and hence we had not accepted the report.”
Herald responds: The government gave an undertaking in court that it would initiate an inquiry to ascertain if the land at Tiracol bought by Leading Hotels was tenanted or not. As soon as the government appointed its inquiry officer, Leading Hotels, we now learn, submitted a memorandum declaring that an impartial inquiry wouldn’t be conducted by the officer, known to do an honest job and not buckle under government pressure.
CM says and the Dy CM echoes: “While the report on one side says it is agricultural land, it fails to reach conclusion on tenancy.”
Herald responds: This is a deliberate attempt to scuttle the report and mislead. The conclusion that the land was agricultural is the first step towards pointing out that the land is tenanted. Tenancy protection was introduced to protect those who cultivate – the marginal farmers. Moreover, it does not “fail” to reach a conclusion on tenancy. Sandeep Jacques merely states that he is not equipped to reach a final conclusion since it involves looking at some more technical aspects, which a judicial inquiry and further recommendations, can achieve. He also stated, “It is just incomprehensible to believe that it is a mere co-incidence that, only after the property in question’ was sold by the ‘Colopos’ or Khalaps to M/s Leading Hotel Pvt. Ltd in parts from the year November 2007 onwards, that some of the persons who were earlier claiming to be tenants or even declared so have suddenly realised that the entries in the record of rights were erroneous. One can understand one or two cases but not the whole village and that too not almost at the same time. There is definitely something more than what meets the eye”.
When 9 lakh sq kms of Tiracol village were taken over by Leading Hotels in a manner which clearly appears suspicious, isn’t it the government’s responsibility to investigate this further rather than question the inquiry officer whose report is making Leading Hotels nervous.
