Ancestor-bought paddy fields of Uguem farmers transferred overnight to State govt without notice

l Villagers from Uguem were cultivating these paddy fields bought and transferred in their names under the Tenancy Act

l Survey records transferred in their names after having purchased the paddy fields under Tenancy Act

l Govt has laid a water pipeline and even paid over Rs 50 Lakhs to the Sociedade for the acquired land. Now they say the Sociedade has no right 

Team Herald

SANGUEM: The people of Ugem village are seething at the State government for its move to take over 35 lakh sq. metres of land at Uguem and Kalay in Sanguem taluka, which were reportedly in their names and the erstwhile Sociedade dos Baldios Das Novas Conquistas Uguem. Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant recently said in the Assembly that the State government had transferred around 35 Lakhs square metres of land in Uguem village from the erstwhile Sociaedade Patriotica Dos Baldios Das Novas Conquistas, Uguem.

While the Sociaedade has filed a writ petition in the High Court against the sudden change of survey records by the Mamlatdar of Sanguem from its name to that of the Government of Goa, the poor villagers from Uguem who owned tenanted lands seemed to have lost in the legal tangle as they do not have enough resources to approach the High Court.

The locals further alleged that the transfer was made without any notice to the concerned individuals is now giving nightmares to the villagers.

The Government in its effort to revert the vast land back in the name of Government of Goa from Sociadade Patriotica Dos Baldios Das Novas Conquistas Uguem however did not spare even the tenanted lands which the villagers from Uguem are cultivating and had got the survey records transferred in their names after having purchased the paddy fields under Tenancy Act.

At a meeting held in the village on Monday, the villagers have resolved to begin with a  signature campaign to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister and the Revenue Authorities highlighting the problems they will encounter if the survey records are not reverted back in their names.

While many villagers are still in dark over the change of survey records those who have verified their records are in the process of filing appeal applications before the Deputy Collector over the action resorted by the Mamlatdar without sending them the notices.

The real fear: Government allowing unwanted projects on their lands

The Uguem village has been free from any outside population and neither there are any high rise buildings in the village. However ever since the change of Survey Records an altogether different perspective has cropped up in the village. The villagers fear of the  Government coming with unwanted projects in the village which will ultimately lead to influx of outside population in the village and this very thought is giving sleepless nights to the villagers.

It is so unfair that survey records were transferred overnight without the say of the villagers

It is so unfair government in getting the survey records directly transferred in its name without sending us due notices, claimed Antonio Dias, an agriculturist from Uguem. The transfer of survey records was done in an overnight exercise by the Office of the Mamlatdar without our say. How can the authorities do that, queried Dias.

“We had purchased the paddy fields and other tenanted lands following due process of law under the Agriculture Tenancy Act and after obtaining due orders from the concerned quasi- judicial authorities several decades ago. Some of these paddy fields were purchased by our ancestors. How can the government at one go get its name in the Survey Records above us is something very disturbing,” added Sanjay Parwar.

It is pertinent to note here that an institution by the name of Sociaedade Patriotica Dos Baldios Das Novas Conquistas with its base at Uguem and registered under Societies Act is in exclusive possession and enjoyment of vast agricultural lands in Kalay and Uguem village since the Portuguese regime. The Society has exclusively owned these properties including portions of land where the villagers had their residential houses.

Some of these properties were cultivated by the villagers and over the years had got the same transferred in their names after following the tedious process of law in the Court of the Mamlatdar.

Housing plots were purchased from Sociaedade by executing sale deeds in the Sub Registrars office. The validity of those deeds exists

Many villagers during the last few years even purchased housing plots of land from Sociaedade by executing Sale Deeds in the Office of the Sub Registrar and got their names mutated in the survey records before constructing residential houses on the said plots of land.

The sudden change of ownership have now puzzled the villagers who are at cross roads as to whom they should call Landlords of their properties and to whom to approach in the event of any litigations or discrepancies in title.

It may be noted here that some years back when Late Manohar Parrikar was the Chief Minister, government had acquired vast portion of land which was hitherto owned and possessed by Sociaedade for laying water pipeline and even paid over Rs 50 lakh to the Sociaedade for the acquired portion of land.

Now the same government which had paid to the Sociaedade for the acquired portion of land claims the lands to be its own and Sociaedade to have no right over the same. How can this happen, ask a villager Marcus Pereira. Did the government not verify the ownership papers at the time of paying the compensation, queried another villager.

Sources informed that the Sociaedade has already got Status Quo order from the High Court and that the matter is now fixed on August 24 for admission first on the board.