A fresh con troversy has erupted in Anjuna after Gauncar Raphael Lobo and sever al villagers lodged formal complaints against Anju na Comunidade Attorney Sebastian D’Souza (Seby) for submitting a no tarised Affidavit-cum-Ir revocable NOC in which he declares personal ownership over Survey No 206/1 — land which locals insist belongs to the Comunidade. The affidavit, accessed through RTI and obtained by O Heraldo, states: “I say that I am the owner of the property surveyed under Survey No 206/1 of Village Anjuna, situat ed at Anjuna Bardez talu ka district of North Goa, State of Goa…” The claim has shocked both Comunidade mem bers and residents.
Many say that “falsification is not the new norm” in their constituency. “I was shocked when I came to know that Seby, in a no tarised affidavit, is swearing that the land is his. Through such acts, he is capable of selling our land. He was elected to be the guardian of the land but is doing the opposite,” said Lobo after filing his complaint at the Anjuna Police Station. Attempts to contact Seby proved futile. The dispute comes on the heels of earlier litigation. The Gauncars had approached the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court through Writ Petition No 883 of 2023 and WP No 430 of 2023 after more than two lakh thirty thousand square metres of Comunidade land was allegedly usurped — a matter now under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). ED officials confirmed that Anjuna Comunidade Pres ident Roy D’Souza and Attorney Sebastian D’Souza had been summoned for questioning previously, though they declined to give further details. With Anjuna continuing to face major land-grab alle gations, members of the Vagator–Anjuna–Caisua (VAC) Association, along with villagers, assembled at the police station to submit additional complaints regarding Attorney Seby’s affidavit and other alleged irregularities. O Heraldo’s edition dated 1 November 2025 carried the report, “Villagers decry road for club amid Anjuna’s crumbling roads,” and RTIs obtained from the GCZMA have raised concerns that local interests are not being priori tised despite Zilla Panchayat elections approaching. “It is sad that instead of repairing the roads for us, the MLA has decided to build a new road for the owners of five-star nightclubs, many of which function all night and disturb us,” said local resident Balbhim Malvankar. Villagers were further alarmed to learn — via RTI — that the Traffic Cell Police Inspector of Anjuna had written to the Executive Engineer, PWD Works Division XIII, Mapusa, requesting “widening of road from Lions Club junction op posite Anjuna Police Station to Little Vagator.” Many locals believe the Traffic Police Inspector has ex ceeded his authority, arguing that road development is the responsibility of the Panchayat, not the traffic police. Former Anjuna Sarpanch Laxmidas Chimulkar earlier told O Heraldo that he had not suggested such a proposal during his tenure, which ended with his resignation on 8 October 2025. As previously reported, the proposal to allot land for a road was not on the agenda of the Anjuna Comunidade AGM held on 28 September 2024, nor recorded in the min utes. Under the Code of the Comunidade, neither a member nor the Executive Committee may issue an NOC without AGM approval. Residents further point out that Attorney Sebastian D’Souza’s affidavit contains unsubstantiated claims, dis proven by Form I and XIV of Survey No 206/1, in which his name does not appear in the column of occupants. Despite this, villagers fear the affidavit is being used to seek GCZMA permission to build a road over Comunidade land. O Heraldo has a note by Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo stat ing: “Necessary NOC from the Anjuna Comunidade is en closed for your ready reference.” “Matters are really getting out of hand. It is hard to im agine that an attorney can make an affidavit stating the land is his,” said Aaron Fernandes, who travelled from Si olim to support the villagers.
