MARGAO: The Comunidade of Carambolim along with many others have hailed the recent amendment to the CRZ Notification 2011, recognising the rights of the Comunidades and the indigenous communities over the khazan lands, and enabling the revival of the agriculture and pisciculture based economies that the Communidades (Gaonkaris) and the indigenous communities have created thousands of years ago.
The Comunidade of Carambolim said that the “Gaonkaris” have created the rivers, bundhs, khazan lands, water bodies, sluice gates and other assets of the khazan system, and have been the original owners and users of these resources for thousands of years. The activists and environmentalists have no right to demand to surrender our resources to Central Government. The collapse of State’s economy and social structures is due to the intentional negligence and lack of recognition of the Comunidades’ sovereign rights after Liberation of Goa.
President of Carambolim Comunidade Venzy Viegas said, “The revival of State’s economy and social wealth can only be brought about by recognising the Comunidades and strictly adhering to the Code of Comunidades when dealing with Comunidade lands, especially the law that Comunidade lands cannot be alienated under any circumstances. The revival of the khazan systems of agriculture and fisheries is an integral part of this economic resurgence that Goa needs so badly today.”
He said that the High Tide Line (HTL) demarcation has to be in accordance with the physical nature of the khazan lands.
