MARGAO: Various communidades and Gaunkars associations/forum on Thursday unitedly opposed the Bhumiputra Adhikarni Bill 2021 and Goa Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill 2021, accusing government of intent to regularise encroachments on communidade land.
Briefing the media person at Borda, communidade representatives strongly condemned and deplored the attempt by the government to encroach upon their autonomous village-level bodies.
Guirim Communidade President and ex-member of Communidade Commission Tulio D’Souza, South Goa Comunidades Forum President Franky Monteiro along with other representatives stated that the communidades and their components are the true bhumiputras or sons of the Goan soil.
D'souza said that the chief minister’s statement on August 3 is an attempt to hoodwink the true sons of the soil. "We demand an apology from the CM for insulting and undermining the true ‘Bhumiputras’ of Goa", he urged.
He said that the proposed legislations are nothing but a blatant attempt to demean the true ‘Bhumiputras’ and give recognition to migrants by giving a definition for ‘Bhumiputra’. Goa’s identity and heritage is being sacrificed to appease the migrant vote-bank.
He recalled that one such attempt made in the past as notified on June 22, 2001, to regularise illegal constructions on communidade lands through an amendment of Article 372- A of the Code of Communidades, which was met with stiff opposition from all communidades unitedly and it proved to be a total failure.
“Law-abiding Goans are forced to struggle to get permission from the authorities and here the Bhumiputra Bill gives direct entry to grab the right on the land. Why this type of bill has been brought suddenly and to please whom?” D’Souza questioned.
Monteiro said that they condemn the statement of the CM implying that communidades or Gaonkars to blame for permitting encroachments on their lands.
"The communidades have been fighting tooth and nail and with all their might on encroachments before various courts and authorities for several decades and have even obtained favourable orders including from the High Court. However, many of these demolition orders have remained on paper due to the lackadaisical attitude and incompetence of the respective administrators of communidades coupled with rampant political interference", he stated.
He hoped that CM directs concerned authorities to furnish such data.
“It is of paramount importance to note that communidades are autonomous village level bodies as envisaged by the Code of Communidades in force and the government only provides administrative tutelage at the expense of the communidades through the administrators of communidades of the respective zones and the Director of Civil Administration”, he stated.
“The government should refrain from passing legislation regularising encroachments/illegal constructions in communidade lands. The communidades do reject the Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarni Bill in any form and demand that the bill be withdrawn and scrapped in totality”, communidade representative demanded.