Govt land in Velim up for grabs?

MARGAO, SEPT 19
This meager piece of government land admeasuring 500 sq mts in Velim village has once again kicked up a row of sorts.
The lawyer defending the government’s interest in a civil suit filed by an individual party laying claim on the piece of land has quit. While Adv Vinoj Daniel has attributed his decision to withdraw from the case as personal, it is not out of place to mention here that Adv Daniel’s predecessor was replaced by the government after he failed to appear in the court on seven occasions to defend the interests of the state.
Herald also understands that a political heavyweight from Salcete was lobbying hard with the powers that be to go slow in the matter as if he was defending the interest of the private party.
Incidentally, the authorities have been found dragging their feet in protecting the piece of land ever since the Administrative Tribunal in December 2008 ordered that the land in question belongs to the government.
With this order, many had expected the demolition Squad, South to immediately raze down the encroachments on the land in question and protect the land for public utility.
Sadly, the structures standing on the encroached land continued to remain were they were after the demolition squad played truant on two occasions when it was headed by then Deputy Collector and Demolition squad Chairman, Dipak Desai.
Sources in the know informed that Salcete Mamlatdar, Paresh Faldessai had on two occasions requisitioned the services of the demolition squad to raze down the structure on the land after the Administrative Tribunal ordered that the land belongs to the government.
The long delay in acting against the structures and taking possession of the land only helped the private party to file a civil suit in the Court, raising serious doubts whether the authorities were hand in glove with the vested interests to strip the government of its right over the property.
That’s not all. When the civil suit came up for hearing before the district court, the government-appointed lawyer failed to appear as many as seven times. It was finally after a public-spirited local citizen knocked the doors of the state administration that the Chief Secretary ordered immediate replacement of the lawyer and called for a status report from the revenue authorities.
Sources in the know that even the office of the Margao deputy Collector was caught napping on more than one occasion over the question of filing an application before the court seeking condonation of delay in filing reply to the suit.
Meanwhile, all eyes are now focused on the government to appoint a new lawyer to defend its interest in the case.