Team Herald
MARGAO: Reacting to various allegations made against them, Assistencia Goa has clarified that they did not force out the Missionaries of Charity (MoC) from its St Inez premises, as has been claimed.
Assistencia also made it clear that the statements given by MoC regarding their departure were made by MoC directly and not by Assistencia.
Assistencia denied the accusation that they were preventing repairs over the last decade and pointed to a proposal worth approximately Rs 15 lakh for major repairs discussed with MoC years ago. Following these discussions, it was decided to continue with the original plan of reconstruction instead, given the poor condition of the premises.
This, Assistencia stressed, was never an attempt to evict MoC, as has been alleged.
Assistencia added that the plan was for MoC to continue using the premises post-reconstruction and that there is no plan to either sell the place or convert it into a commercial project, as has been alleged.
They pointed out that the property falls under the Institutional Zone of the Outline Development Plan (ODP) of Panjim, with Assistencia continuing to retain a smaller portion of the land.
Assistencia clarified that they are not part of the Archdiocese of Goa but an independent registered charitable society founded in 1910 by General Dr Jose Maria Da Costa Alvares, Adv Jose Maria Pereira, and other philanthropists. "Missionaries of Charity were invited in 1976 to assist with running the asylum for the destitute and needy," said the managing committee.
Assistencia also reacted to what they have described as "misinformation" about them and recent developments.
They opined that it was inappropriate to single out individuals for criticism when Assistencia is run by its managing committee, which can take decisions only with the consent of its general body.
For instance, they pointed out that Neville Monteiro became the president only in April 2024, and not much earlier as has been claimed.
"Given the poor condition of the building and premises, it was proposed that we jointly reconstruct the same, for which an agreement was signed between Assistencia Goa and Missionaries of Charity and approved in 2014. The plans were submitted and duly approved by the PDA,” the managing committee added.
The 2014 agreement stipulated sharing the building structure with 78% for MoC and 22% for Assistencia, an arrangement both parties agreed to in writing after negotiations that began in 2013.
“However, the same did not materialise to date. Despite efforts to revive it, the stalemate continued,” the managing committee added.
“Subsequently, in January 2024, a fresh proposal was drawn up in which it was agreed to lease out part of the land on a long-term basis for the activities of MoC. As the talks were nearing finalization, Assistencia Goa was shocked to receive a letter from the Missionaries of Charity sisters dated March 22, 2025, stating that they had decided to return the home and the entire premises back to Assistencia Goa,” the managing committee added further.
It was further pointed out that earlier, on April 30, 2024, there was a joint meeting with representatives of MoC from Kolkata, Mumbai, and Goa and the managing committee about this new proposal, and the discussions were cordial.
It was clarified that this new plan was made after discussions with the Assistencia general body and managing committee, not in any individual capacity.
Assistencia also emphasised that there was never any question of selling the premises or changing the use of the institution. The managing committee pointed out that there are parameters as to what they can do, wherein only charitable work could continue.
They added that regulations also allowed staff residences and for Assistencia to have units secondary to the main use of the area—amenities that would help support reconstruction costs and other charitable endeavours.
Assistencia pointed out that from November 2024, monthly reminders were sent to MoC for taking forward this proposal. As reported by O Heraldo on Monday, attempts are underway to bring back MoC, whereas some NGOs have also inquired with Assistencia about using the space.