The comunidades in Goa are age-old institutions probably dating back, which some say, more than 3,000 years. It is a heritage institution where each village community has formed a socialist agrarian society where the land is polled together and the villagers are given shares (acções). People are under the impression that the comunidade is a creation of the Portuguese era. On the contrary, it has existed long before the arrival of the Portuguese. In this mistaken belief, the politicians and the liberators of Goa think that this institution should be dismantled brick by brick after the end of the Portuguese era.
It is important to maintain this unique institution by declaring it, a heritage institution. The comunidade followed a democratic process and elected its committee every three years. Prior to liberation, all the comunidade land, lakes, ponds were auctioned to the public and used to raise a huge revenue for the maintenance of this institution.
With the advent of the tenancy laws (Land to the tiller), most of the comunidade fields are left uncultivated due to lack of incentives, expensive labour and are becoming now, unprofitable. Most of the comunidade land is remaining fallow. We need to motivate the villagers to cultivate the land and bring back the villages to its original greenery and prosperity.
Most of the lakes and ponds were being barraged to store fresh rain-water by the end of September. Today the authorities and the people are not bothered to make and maintain these barrages. These lakes used to store fresh water for the summer cultivation. The water table of the lake did not allow the village wells to dry up.
At the entrance of Chinchinim, there is a very picturesque lake called as Diguam band which today is in a sad state of neglect. The water barrage is prematurely opened and people dump all sorts of garbage including chicken waste and slaughter-house waste and dead fish at the mouth of this beautiful lake. The water of this lake was being used for irrigation of the summer crop and the fish auctioned to the public which would raise huge revenue.
Most of the bundhs (embankments) along the rivers, especially River Sal, have breached, allowing the saline water to inundate the paddy fields, and have rendered the fields temporarily uncultivable. The Government should repair all the ‘bundhs’ under the Bundh Conservation Authority.
The present Casa de Comunidade of Chinchinim, which is a heritage building, is sadly neglected with its roofing leaking and very badly requiring repairs. To add to the misery, the afore-said building is tentatively acquired for road widening. The villagers of Chinchinim are strongly opposing this move and want this heritage building to be maintained at all costs. The antique books of the Comunidade are in utter neglect and are being eaten by the white ants. A sorry state left by the previous committees. We need to salvage these antique precious papers at all costs.
The authorities should take note of the above suggestions and maintain these heritage institutions for the future generations.
