TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The curse of the communidades, hitherto the most ancient and fair system of land utilisation and allotment, has seeped into yet another communidade – Assagao, now known as mini Delhi, as much as Morjim is mini Russia. A former North Goa administrator had allotted 237 plots, to non gaonkars arbitrarily bypassing the Communidade rules and its managing body.
The then administrator Chandrakant Shetkar, under rule 12 issued a notification for vacant plots that was published on February 27, asking applicants to directly apply to the administrator. After that, the administrator completed the allotment – with not a single plot given to either Assagao Gaonkars or shareholders.
However, the very same person issued a notification at almost the same time – for the Sirsaim communidade – that says that all applications should come through the communidade, raising questions as to the reason why double standards were applied and leaving the decision open for a scrutiny.
In the Assagao case, the decision was challenged by a writ petition that was filed before the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court and an interim stay on the allotment obtained.
According to rule 12 of the Code of the Communidade, all allotments have to be routed through the Communidade attorney.
“This is a total fraud,” says communidade attorney Caetano Raposo who filed a writ in the High Court in May 2014 against this notification and subsequent allotments.
Within 15 days a stay was obtained. As of now, the interim order still stands and the final order is expected for October 13.
The writ prayer is for the setting aside the allotment of plots for not taking the communidade into consideration.
However, this is not the only controversy regarding the development and sub-division of the plots. A NGO has alleged that the sub-division itself is illegal and TCP has issued NOCs fraudulently – a charge denied both by TCP and the communidade body.
According to one NGO, the TCP had cleared the sub-division of these very same plots fraudulently in 2013 when the NOC had expired in 2007. The Communidade had applied for the NOC in 2004.
This allegation has been denied by the TCP that said that the issue did not arise as the initial NOC was a provisional one and the Communidade had complied with all formalities.
“We give approval based on facts. We have given an NOC for the place. There is no issue in this issue,” the chief town planner S T Putturaju said.
TCP officials say that the allegations and counter allegations are not their problem as they don’t affect their department and all clearances given after documents perused.
“We have total documentation,” the Chief Town Planner said.
Documents or not, the undeniable fact is that 237 plots went to people who were not a part of this communidade or its share holders, a clear violation of the spirit of communidades.
