Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Su-Raj Party on Saturday alleged a fraud in the original sale deed and presence of tenants in the disputed Tiracol tenancy case. Party general secretary and spokesperson Floriano Lobo said the sale deed from the original owner Vaikunt Xhet Khalap is a “fraudulent one.”
Lobo on an individual basis has taken the issue and filed an intervening application with the ongoing case at the High Court of Bombay at Goa that had earlier last week issued an interim stay on the golf course. The court has only allowed for the construction of two model villas covering around 700 square metres without affecting the nature of the rest of the land.
“Most of the properties in Tiracol are agricultural tenanted properties where tenants cannot sell the properties. However, it is pointed out that these tenants of Vaikunt Xhet Khalap with his name recorded as the ‘occupant’ have gotten themselves recorded as ‘deemed purchasers’ since the year 1975,” said Lobo.
He explains that tenants cease to exist once they’re termed as deemed purchasers, “therefore their name couldn’t have been deleted on the basis of ‘negative declarations’ or simply without informing them.”
Writing to the Vigilance Department, Advocate Andre Pereira demanded an inquiry into the matter of fraudulent sale and conversions of land. Pereira, who has also written to District Magistrate of North Goa, in his complaint, has attached a five-page note he claims shows that several serial numbers contain villagers as deemed purchasers and not tenants.
The North Goa district Collector had last month instructed the Pernem mamlatdar to investigate and take appropriate action in the matter.
Lobo added that the Khalaps did not own the properties they sold to Leading Hotels which in fact belongs to the Government of Goa. “Most of these lands have been the lands in the line of control for many centuries right from the British India, subsequently, India since 1947 separating India and ‘India Portuguesa’ aka ‘Goa’ as distinct and separate countries,” he said.
After 1961, the then Goa’s border merged with border of Maharashtra making this a no man’s land. Lobo goes on to say that it is presumed since there were no settlements on this land and Khalap, who had properties adjoining, appropriated much of this land and allowed others to settle on it.
