Team Herald
MARGAO: The Davorlim Dicarpale gram sabha on Sunday, in one voice, rejected the government’s proposal to set up an educational hub in their village rescinding all earlier resolutions adopted by the gram sabha in the past over the land in question. The meeting was attended by nearly 400 people.
Villagers raised various issues, but the common refrain was that the land from the village should be for the villagers and not to be given to schools in Margao catering to the children of the rich sections. Local MLA Luizinho Faleiro, who arrived after the meeting had commenced, was also compelled to abide by the wishes of people. “I have never done anything that the people did not want and in this too I am with the people,” he said.
However, Luizinho did point out that when he was the MLA of the area, following a gram sabha resolution, he had initiated the process to set up higher educational facilities in the village and further disclosed that the land was handed over to the Skill Development Ministry by the local comunidade on condition it should be compensated later on.
“Some businessmen from Margao wanted to take over the land and sell it by making plots and that is when I stepped in,” he said adding that the villagers had a good ground to oppose as land acquired for one purpose cannot be utilized for some other purpose.
“The Land Acquisition Act does not allow it and there are a number of High Court and Supreme Court judgements to that effect,” he said. He termed the order dated December 28, 2016 whereby 1,15,200 sq mts of land under Survey No 16/1 of the village was transferred to the Directorate of Education as illegal and fit to be challenged.
Divulging what had happened when he was representing the village, he claimed to have no knowledge of subsequent developments and stressed that even the land acquisition was done when he was not in Goa but based in the national capital.
Earlier, villagers led by Johnson Fernandes and Andrew Rebello spoke against the educational hub for Margao schools coming up in their village. Johnson cautioned people against the propaganda of jobs being created for the locals.
“These are already set schools in Margao who will shift here with the same students and existing staff and there will be no jobs created for us,” he said adding that people would only have to suffer traffic congestion.
Andrew Rebello asked why should the village accept schools from Margao, when that town is not accepting Davorlim’s garbage at Sonsoddo. “Comunidade is meant for the locals and to protect the local interest and it does not belong to the government,” he said.
“We have been elected by the people and we shall go with the people. If the people do not want we also do not want it,” said Sarpanch Flancy Gomes when pressed by the crowd.
However, the villagers asked each of the seven panchas present to publicly express their opinion and all said they would go with the people.
Various projects have been proposed on the land in question which reportedly was acquired for a “multi utility project”. According to Luizinho Faleiro a Skill Development Institute along with facilities for higher education were supposed to come up there and now the present government proposes to use the land for an educational hub to decongest Margao.
Attorney of Davorlim Comunidade Leon Raikar said the government had acquired the land at the rate of Rs 100 per square metres and added that the Comunidade was more than willing to refund the around Rs 1 crore they were paid for the land.
“We have received the money under protest and are willing to refund it any moment,” he said adding that the comunidade would like to have the land back in its possession.
The villagers also strongly condemned the four panchayat members who were not present for the gram sabha. When the meeting commenced only six panchas were present while Herculano Niasso came later on. The four panchas who were absent for the meeting are: Sahar Sarfaraz Shaikh, Francisco Dias, Deepak Mangalam and Siya Varak.
