PANJIM: The erstwhile Comunidade Commission, which had submitted its report to the then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, in 2016, in compliance with directions of the High Court, has asked for stringent action against encroachments on comunidade land.
The four members of the former Commission Antonio Bonfilio Bragança, Sávio J F Correia, Tulio de Souza and Augusto Monteiro in a press note issued here say they have learnt through the media that Government has accepted their report and decided to table it in the Legislative Assembly in the forthcoming session.
“However, we understand that the foregoing has caused bewilderment and confusion among comunidade components and the public at large. Hence, we thought it prudent to enlighten all concerned about the commission’s report and recommendations,” the press release states.
They said the main thrust of the report was to revitalise agriculture in Goa which has seen an alarming decline in recent times, by proposing comunidade as a potent and efficient institution or vehicle to fulfil the objective.
“We felt this could be best achieved through the institution of the comunidades, being the single largest holder of agricultural land, and thereby give fresh impetus to the Government’s initiative of boosting agriculture and farming in the State,” the note reads.
The release says this effort would help in restoring these agrarian bodies to their past glory having a unique social order and conserve an institution of immense heritage value and historical significance.
In addition, the release adds, a slew of measures to revitalise the comunidades and streamlining their administration to give better service to their members and the public were suggested.
“These include establishment of zonal councils to involve comunidades in the functioning of their administration offices, additional powers to the attorney to tackle encroachments, electoral reforms, removal of gender inequalities in eligibility for gaunkarship and updating and digitisation of comunidade records, among many others,” the release adds.
The commission gave its findings on the illegal and irregular appointment of staff in the office of Administrator of Comunidades, South Zone. Suitable amendments to the Code of Comunidades were suggested wherever legislative intervention was necessary for implementation.
“As regards illegal constructions and encroachments, the commission was of the considered opinion that stringent steps need to be taken to remove encroachments from the comunidade property under the extant provisions of the Code of Comunidades and the Goa Land (Prohibition and Construction) Act, 1995, and that administrators should be made duty-bound to take action as per law,” it said.
The commission felt that in exceptional cases where it was impossible for a comunidade to remove the encroachers due to some bar of law or circumstances, there ought to be an option to enable the comunidade to try and regularise the encroachment after being compensated for the land at current market rates, and this should be limited to the cases of collective encroachment by way of shanties and illegal colonies.
“While doing so, an elaborate and transparent procedure was recommended while reiterating the primacy of the comunidade in the decision-making process. The cut-off date of 15.06.2001 would remain unchanged,” it says.
Further, they added, “We feel that, before making any amendments to the Code of Comunidades, it would be desirable that the proposals be referred to the statutory convention under Art 652 of the Code that is in session, to elicit the views of comunidade bodies thereon.
