Gaunkars urge Guv to save Communidade land

PANJIM, AUG 24
Keeping up with tradition, the nine ‘Gaunkar’ families constituting the Taleigao Communidade presented the first corn of rice to Goa Governor S S Siddhu on Tuesday, the last day of the annual Harvest Feast (Konsanchem Fest), celebrations for which began on August 21.
This year, the Gaunkars of Taleigao celebrated 500 years of the privilege of presenting the first sheaf of corn to the Portuguese Governor General.
Taleigao was the first village to have been given this privilege by the erstwhile rulers in recognition of help the villagers gave to their troops when they were starving for food after being temporarily defeated by Adilshah in 1510.     
Today, this year’s President of the feast, Vito Gomes, along with the other Gaunkar families, met the Governor, who, by virtue of this historic privilege, is the custodian of the Communidades.
Gomes, in his customary speech before the Governor, highlighted Taleigao’s history as the rice granary of Goa.
The village once abounding in agriculture on vast tracts of land belonging to the Communidade today had very little to show in terms of agriculture, he mentioned in his address.
He stated that the Governor was apprised on how Communidade land was acquired illegally by the State in the ‘autonomous village’ by making a mockery of the age-old institution.
“On inquiry by the Governor on the quantum of Communidade land left in the village, I told him from a level of 60 per cent we had come down to 20 per cent,” he mentioned.
Gomes, on behalf of the other Gaunkars present, called upon Sidhu to assume authority conferred by provisions of the private law on the Governor of the State to arrest further deterioration of the once much-avowed Taleigao Communidade at the hands of several State departments. 
Earlier, the Gaunkars presented the first sheaf of corn at Old Goa after a Eucharistic service in Se Cathedral.
The Gaunkars also met the Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao at the Archbishop’s Palace in Altinho, here, and presented to him the first sheaf of corn.