QUEPEM: Displaying tremendous resilience in defending their land, the residents of Assolda blocked a path, illegally occupied by an encroacher, who constructed unauthorised structures on the land owned by the Comunidade of Assolda.
Despite the court issuing demolition orders, the village panchayat failed to execute the necessary action to remove these illegal structures, which led to growing frustration among the villagers.
The Quepem Police called Sanjay Raut Dessai, the attorney of Comunidade of Assolda, along with Achyut Raut Dessai, to address the ongoing issue. During the meeting, the Quepem PI assured the parties concerned that the matter would be referred to the South Goa Collector for further action.
In a bid to expedite the resolution, Aditya Dessai arrived at the Quepem Police Station and handed over a series of communications made by the Secretary (Revenue) to the Director General of Police (DGP) and other officials of Revenue Department in this regard. These communications specifically addressed the need to clear the encroachments on comunidade land, emphasising the urgency of the situation.
In a statement, Aditya remarked, “The inaction of the panchayat in executing the court’s demolition orders had only emboldened the encroachers, who continue to disregard the law. This blatant violation of comunidade land rights cannot be tolerated, and we are committed to ensuring that justice is served. The communications made to the DGP and Revenue Department officials highlight the seriousness of this issue, and we expect prompt and decisive action to protect our village’s heritage and land.”
The villagers, who had shown tremendous resilience in defending their land, hoped that the authorities would now act swiftly to restore the rights of the Comunidade of Assolda and remove the illegal encroachments that had plagued their community for too long.
