Robbing Peter …
The Bhumiputra Bill, by any name, is nothing but legalisation of illegal activities. This is done by robbing Peter to give Paul.
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Calling for suggestions on amendment of the same is nothing but an act of allowing such illegal beneficiaries to demand such free estate. The Bill must be scrapped forthwith.
Two co-operative banks in Goa have been shut by the RBI. Why? Co-operative Banks were forced to provide OTS to loan defaulters from the mining dependents. Pressure from the Govt. and GCCI tried to even get 30% to 35% of the principal amount waived. If suggestions are called on whether to waive of interest and principal amounts, how many would be for and against? Is this a solution?
No, the Govt. is killing 2 birds with one stone: ensuring their votes for the coming elections and diverting attention from linear projects, Covid deaths due to no oxygen. This is a desperate attempt to retain power and there will be more to come. Time for the BJP supporters to act. Land cannot be created: How? Acquiring the same for useless projects, or robbing the same. by enacting laws like this and the Major and Minor Ports Bill. All are quiet on these fronts.
R Fernandes, Margao
Preventing bovine fatalities
Over the past few days there have been several incidents of cattle dying in road accidents reported in the state. A total of 23 bovine fatalities occurred in Canacona alone in the month of July along the NH-66 stretch.
In one incident a vehicle ran over stray cattle killing 11 of them on the spot and injuring three others. On July 28 a truck ran over stray cattle killing several of them. These unfortunate deaths can be avoided with proper cattle management schemes and adequate manpower like pound-keepers which requires funding by the government.
It is pertinent to note that in 2015 the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AVHS) had issued a notice and reintroduced the Goa Stray Cattle Management Scheme 2013 with modifications. Following this 14 municipal councils and Corporation of the City of Panaji had erected permanent cattle pound.
It must be said that cattle squatting on the roads does not pose danger only to the cattle but to road users as well. Necessary remedial action needs to be taken by the concerned authorities to prevent death of cattle due to accidents and also save human lives from fatal accidents.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
The Bhumiputra bungle
If the present government is so very interested in protecting the interests of the original inhabitants of Goa, it should give real bhumiputras preference in the job market. Several other states are doing it for their ‘sons of the soil’. The present ‘Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill’ seems designed more to favour the migrants who form a sizeable part of the vote bank than Niz Goenkars. Simply making a farcical statement in the assembly that with the passage of the bill, Goan bhumiputras will get ownership of their lands and cement their rights is a joke. The act is nothing but an appeasement of the migrant vote bank keeping in view the impending state elections.
The legislation is cunningly structured to facilitate backdoor entry for non- Goans to usurp comunidade land and as quid pro quo they shall vote enbloc in the ruling party’s favour. It is clearly an opportunistic attempt to cash in on the non-native Goan vote. More than anything, the soon to be law will provide impetus to non natives to build more illegal structures in the state, squat on Goan lands and later claim ownership.
The housing minister is trying to explain the bill as a collective cabinet decision and as usual his party has blamed the opposition for politicizing the issue. What is perverse is that the bill was passed on the same day it was introduced in the three day truncated assembly session bulldozing the voice of the opposition.
This tearing hurry exposes the ulterior motives of the ruling dispensation. Nothing less than scrapping of the bill will do.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Huge problem of illegal houses
In the wake of the passing and withdrawal of the Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill, the government has revealed that about 6.50 lakhs houses in Goa have been given house numbers and also water and electricity connections but only 20 percent of them have construction licences.This means that a huge number of over 5 lakhs houses in Goa are illegal and they stand mainly on government land and Comunidade land and to some extent on private land.
Several questions arise in this situation.
1. Who looks after government lands in the State and what is the mechanism that government has to prevent encroachments on its lands? 2. How have a large number of illegal houses been built on Comunidade lands when every Comunidade has an elected Committee, a substitute Committee and also members living in the village? Do the Panchayats cooperate with the Comunidades? 3. No construction can come up anywhere in the village without the licence of the Panchayat no matter to whom the land belongs. Are the Panchayats, which have Panch members in every ward, vigilant and proactive in this matter? 4. To get house number as well as water and electricity connection, a citizen has to submit ownership document, construction licence, occupancy certificate etc. How were all these requirements overlooked in such a huge number of cases of illegal constructions by the Panchayats and also the water and electricity departments of the government?
Illegal and unauthorised constructions in Goa is a huge problem and the government should find an urgent solution to it. Having a relook at the cumbersome approvals and licensing procedures is one. Regularisation of illegal constructions is not the solution. What is black is black. If the rule of law is not maintained, illegal constructions, by one and all, will continue to happen and on a much bigger scale than now.
Rodney de Souza, Assagao
Is the government protecting vote bank
The Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill passed in the Assembly is a step to woo the migrants who are occupying the communidade land illegally will be regularised if the same thing happened in other states they would have preferred the local population for the communidade land as there are lakhs of Goans in the far flung areas like Valpoi, Sattari, Sanguem, Vasco etc who doesn’t have proper houses to live in.
The government should give first preference for the sons of the soil then only think of giving land for the migrants. This clearly shows that this government is hell bent to protect the rights of the migrants over Goans only to protect their votebank as they know that their votes are in the pockets of the politicians and hence the bill, if these politicians are sincere enough they should link the Adhar card to the election card then the reality will come to the fore but this government will not do this because they are sure that their election card in Goa will get cancelled as they have a election card in their native place also, so Goans please be aware of this politicians who are only to ruin Goa and Goans.
In this 2022 assembly elections let all Goans be united whether you are from whichever religion, caste or creed to vote intelligently to show the exit door to this politicians who are supporting migrants and not the interest and welfare of Goans as it clearly evident from the passage of “The Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini bill”.
I hope all the social activists and Goans come together on the streets to fight tooth and nail against the cruel and anti- Goan bill till this bill is withdrawn by the government.
Diomedes Pereira, Corlim
