The nationalisation of Indian Rivers Act 2016 declaring 6 out of our 9 rivers as national waterways has stricken at the very root of our Goemkarponn. Goa’s land having already being sold, now it is the turn of our rivers being privatised.
Goa (its land and waters) throughout the centuries was ruled by Goans themselves. Every invader right from Bhojas to Kadambas, Muslims and Portuguese respected our unique land identity and heritage of Gaunkari rule or community system of village Governance which the Portuguese called in their language ‘Comunidades’. This centuries old system had 3 main features: a) Community land, b) Community Agriculture, c) Community self-governance.
This heritage system has been consistently acknowledged by all including the BJP Government in 2016. The Official Gazette, Government of Goa dated 21st July 2016 series.1 No. 6 at Pg 606 reads the following: “Goa, has had a history of numerous rulers who ruled from the third century onwards upto 1961. The rulers included the Bhojas, Mauryas, the Yadavas, the Bahamanis, Marathas and the Portuguese. In 1961, Goa was liberated from the Portuguese rule and by the 12th Amendment Act 1962 to the Constitution, Goa along with Daman and Diu became a part of the Indian Union. With numerous rulers changing in Goa, the local self Government institution did not undergo any major changes.
Goa has a unique history of institutions of local self Government dating back to ancient times. Descendants of ancient settlers of the villages, called Gaunkars, organised themselves into “Communidades” or “Communities” which functioned as an autonomous unit of village administration. The Government was vested in the assembly of elders of each clan or Vangor. Members of the Communidades consisted of (i) Zoneiros (ii) Acsaocars (iii) Gaonkars. The primary activity of the Communidades was leasing out their commonly held agricultural land, orchards, ponds through auction. The income was utilised to fund the common services for the village like those of priests, barbers, construction and maintenance of markets, halls, etc. This village governance was allowed to exist alongside the Portuguese administrative machinery.”
In their multi-centennial history Goans never revolted against any ruler because there was no reason for revolt since the village governance was in their own hands and the rulers were not interfering with it. The Panchayati raj system introduced in Goa in 1962 interfered with this village administration and practically succeeded in destroying it. Multiple jurisdictional entities ruling over the owner spoil everything. There is an adage in Konkani “Choddmest, burram fest” which means “Too many cooks, spoil the soup.” This has been the reality in Goa from 1962. In the original village, owned and governed by the Gaunkari system, the administrative jurisdiction is exercised by the Panchayat, the bunds and sluice gates are under the Mamlatdar. Each one does want one wants without consulting others. Hence the results: corruption, mal-administration, total destruction of agriculture and harassment of people who have to run from pillar to post and yet there is not a single authority who can redress the genuine grievances of the people.
Coming back to the issue of nationalisation of Goan rivers, we can ask these questions: ‘To whom do the Goan rivers belong?’, ‘Why the owners were bypassed in the Act?’
The above declaration of Goan rivers or rather their privatisation, without consultation with the owners smacks of autocracy and does not fit into democratic values system, India is professing before the world and therefore it strikes at the very root of our Goemkarponn. The consequences of the said declaration will be totally disastrous to Goa in the years to come.
The intricate kazan land eco-systems which form part of Goan heritage will be a thing of the past with constant inundation of our villages due to breaches of bunds, since this soft mud will not be able to withstand the waves of big ships. Water tourism jet skies and fast transportation vessels will play havoc with the bunds and fish breeding. The desilting and deepening of the rivers will totally destroy the river’s ecology. The entire class of people dependant on these rivers for their daily bread as fishermen, sand extractors, etc will be jobless.
The course of Goan rivers is not natural but artificially limited with mutual understanding between the villages of both sides of the rivers through bunding of waters by the Gaunkars and they have maintained and repaired these bunds at their own cost all these centuries till the Agricultural Tenancy Act 1965 entrusted their maintenance to the Mamlatdar. Since then we have seen the results of total destruction of our agriculture.
How does one explain that the Centre is rushing through all this coal and river nationalisation issues without holding an EIA for projects of this magnitude which are bound to have their disastrous repercussions on the very existence of Goans? Can anyone dictate to me in my own house what I have to do?
There is no gainsaying that the Goa Government will be the final authority. We have enough experience of these kind of assurances with regard to Angediva Island which was handed over by the Goa Government to the Navy with agreement of allowing Goans for the feast of Our Lady of Brotas on February 2 and the Navy has gone back on it citing security reasons. Didn’t the Navy know about security reasons then?
I hope our State as well as Central authorities will think twice before they rush to finalise these projects.
