KARSTEN MIRANDA
karsten@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Stakeholders of Goa’s centuries-old Comunidade system are calling out the “administrative inertia” and “lack of political will” to implement long-promised reforms. Despite amendments to the Code of Comunidade passed in August 2024 following a statutory convention, representatives claim that these changes have yet to translate into meaningful action on the ground.
Avinash Tavares, a shareholder of the Colva and Margao Comunidades and a member of the five-member commission that coordinated the 2024 Comunidade Convention, listed out ongoing problems. “Files remain pending and it's difficult to track them. There is a severe staff shortage in the Administrator’s office,” he said, adding that recent government assurances offer little comfort. “The actions that have been taken are only on paper. For example, regarding the revival of defunct Comunidades and agriculture on Comunidade land, the government claims amendments were passed—but has anything changed on the
ground?”
In the recently-concluded Assembly session, Revenue Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate responded to a question by Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, stating that multiple amendments had been passed: Article 41-A for election reforms, Article 181-A for revival of defunct Comunidades, and Article 31A addressing land conversion. The government also said that issues related to alleged illegal staff appointments in the Office of Administrator of Comunidade (South Zone) remain sub judice before the High Court.
Earlier this month, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met with Comunidade officials and promised expedited staff recruitment, the appointment of full-time administrators, and complete computerisation of operations. “All Comunidades will be 100% streamlined. A full-time administrator will be appointed. Recruitment will be expedited. All processes will be 100% computerised,” he had said, while pointing out that North Goa alone has 75 Comunidades needing attention.
Responding to these assurances, Savio J F Correia, president of four Salcete Comunidades—Margao, Aquem, Davorlim, and Dicarpale—and Secretary of the South Goa Comunidades Forum, struck a cautious tone. “Appointing full-time administrators is a step in the right direction given the increasing and complex workload,” he said. However, he warned that clerical appointments must be financially viable for each Comunidade. “This must be done only after assessing the financial position of each Comunidade, and in consultation with them, as undue burdens have already been seen in South Goa,” Correia
noted.
On the computerisation front, Correia pointed out that while many affluent Comunidades are already technologically equipped, broader implementation requires alignment with the Code of Comunidades and necessary legislative backing.
“If the Chief Minister truly wishes to reform the Comunidades, he should begin by implementing the recommendations of last year’s statutory Comunidade Convention in letter and spirit,” he said.
As part of its efforts to push for long-standing demands, the South Goa Comunidades Forum had also written to the government requesting the official observance of April 15 as 'Comunidades Day'. In a letter dated March 31, 2025, addressed to the Secretary (Revenue), Correia offered to conduct the function at the Margao Comunidade hall without any financial burden to the government. However, the lack of a response from the authorities has further fuelled perceptions of official apathy.
April 15 marks the anniversary of Legislative Diploma No. 2070 of 1961, which governs the Comunidades system, and is observed informally by stakeholders as Gaunkari Day. This year, the absence of an official function has become emblematic of the community’s broader frustrations.
“As Gaunkari Day passes without recognition, our core demands remain unaddressed,” said one stakeholder. “The real issue isn’t that a function wasn’t held—it’s that our system is being ignored.”