MARGAO: The validity of caste certificates issued to toddy tappers (renders) certifying them to be belonging to Other Backward Community is challenged by Pradeep Verlekar who vide a letter dated November 24 has demanded that all such certificates be withdrawn.
It may be recalled that Pradeep had challenged the caste certificate issued to Edwin Cardoso alias Cipru during the Zilla Panchayat elections. Although his initial complaint was that Cipru belonged to the creamy layer and hence was not eligible for the certificate, subsequently he began checking the antecedents of the organization itself.
The District Registrar South of Registrar of Societies V T Hadkonkar vide a letter dated November 22, 2017 in reply to an RTI application, stated that the organization named All Goa Toddy Tappers Association does not stand registered with the department.
He however stated that an organization named All Goa Toddy Tappers Employee Association stands registered with the department under registration No 64/65 meaning it was registered in the year 1965.
Significantly, the Deputy Collector has been issuing OBC certificate to people belonging to the render community based on certificate issued by the President of All Goa Toddy Tappers Association which organization is not at all registered with the government.
Even the certificate produced by Cipru was issued by the President of All Goa Toddy Tappers Association and hence is liable to be rejected along with certificates issued to various other persons as the organisation issuing the certificate is not recognised by the government.
Incidentally, even the registration of All Goa Toddy Tappers Employees Association has not been renewed since the time it was registered revealed the new president Remy Borges. “We have just taken over in June and at our last meeting we have decided to renew the registration which has not been done all these years,” said Remy.
