Team Herald
CANACONA: The Gawada Kunbi Velip Dhangar Federation (GAKUVED) has resolved to submit a memorandum to the State government demanding to issue sanads to all the pending Kumeri cultivators by taking necessary decisions within one-month failing which they will stage protests and seek legal course of action.
The decision was taken at meeting held at Gaondongrem village panchayat on Sunday. As many as 343 Cumeri cultivators from Gaondongrem and Cola village panchayats of Canacona taluka attended the meeting.
The meeting also constituted a Kumeri cultivators committee to execute the above resolution and to take necessary follow-up. The committee comprises Ashok Bhiva Velip, Jayprakash Ram Velip, Madhu Shabu Gaonkar, Kushali Tulo Velip, Babu Panglo Velip, Purso Bhiso Velip, Shambu Ganesh Vaiz, Guru Bhiva Velip, Gadu Vaiz and Udaykumar Vasu Gaonkar.
This committee will work in coordination with the GAKUVED Federation to settle their long pending demand and take the issue at its logical end.
Earlier, GAKUVED Federation had constituted a committee of five senior advocates to study the matter and to present a legal fight in case the government fails to grant sanads to the cultivators.
GAKUVED legal advisors Advocates Suresh Palkar, Joao Fernandes, Sudesh Gaonkar and Krantika Gaude were present.
Also GAKUVED Federation central committee members Uday Vasu Gaonkar (vice president), Rupesh Velip (general secretary), Ravindra Velip (vice president), Durgadas Gaonkar (ex-president), Govind Shirodkar (founder member), Ramakrishna Jalmi (convenor-Kul-Mundkaracho Ekvott), Nitesh Velip (Canacona block president), Sandesh Gaonkar (Sanguem block president), Siddhesh Velip (Quepem block secretary) and GAKUVED all taluka committee members were also present for the meeting.
Besides this, civil service officers Ajay Gaude (Deputy- Collector, North Goa), Shankar Gaonkar (Director of Sports Authority of Goa) and Sagun Velip (Director of Art and Culture) were also present as resource person/advisor for the meeting.
During the meeting, a detail procedure of forest rights and challenges for settlement of FRC cases were discussed. Gaondongrem former sarpanch and FRC Committee chairman Ashok Bhiva Velip expressed their anger as to why so many years the Kumeri cases are pending when all procedure for issue of sanads was completed in 2009.
