One-third of population speak neither Konkani nor Marathi: CM
TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: The Goa state legislative assembly on Monday unanimously resolved to recommend to the Union government to grant Special Status to Goa under Article 371 of Constitution of India or any other provisions of Constitution regulating ownership and transfer of land in order to conserve the state’s limited resources for development.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar also announced that he would take an all party delegation to New Delhi, next month, to press for Special Status on the lines of that granted to Mizoram and Uttaranchal.
The resolution was moved by Parrikar who also stressed on preserving the unique identity of Goa. The chief minister assured the house that he would continue pressuring the central government, irrespective of who comes to power during Lok Sabha elections. “Let us forget all differences and come together on this crucial issue,” he urged.
The legislators, cutting across the party lines, supported the resolution.
Parrikar said that this is not a political resolution or election gimmick considering the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. The chief minister clarified that the state is not asking for any financial assistance from from the Centre like Bihar, whose government is demanding special status for financial assistance. “The state, with highest per capital income will never be granted a financial package. If we ask them, it might turn out to be a hurdle,” he stated.
Parrikar said that his government is not bothered about the state economy, as Goa has the capacity to raise funds. “What we are demanding is powers to protect our land and identity,” he stated.
The chief minister told the house that of the total 3,702 square kilometers of land, the state is left with only 350 square kilometers of land for future development, which is a cause of concern. “Land will be a crucial issue in the near future. We have hardly 6 to 7 per cent of land left for development,” he said.
He said that the land sharks have created land banks in Goa, straining the resources further.” But by and large we ourselves are responsible for this,” he said adding “Every central institute is looking at Goa as a destination to set up their facility, which we are not going to allow.”
Parrikar lamented that the people are selling their properties in order to earn money, which is not acceptable. He conceded that without special status the state government will have limited control on the sale of land resources.
“We cannot completely depend on the Centre. If we want to protect our selves, or the land, then the state will have to formulate its own laws,” he stated.
The chief minister said that Goans will lose their identity to the mass inflow of the other Indians. He pointed out that as per 2002 census one third of Goa’s population does not speak either Konkani or Marathi but speak languages varying from Kannada to Urdu. “If the influx continues, time will come when we will start talking Hindi,” he commented.
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RP 21 corrections via plebiscite
PANJIM: The Regional Plan 2021 will be corrected through a plebiscite rather than just Gram Sabha resolutions, because Gram Sabhas can often be compromised through vested interests, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said.
Speaking during the motion on Special Status which he moved in the house on Monday, Parrikar said that corruption at the grassroots was an inherent problem that had to be defeated.
“For long, I was breaking my head over how to go about correcting the Gram Sabha. Then I realised that each village should have a plebiscite, where each individual in the village will be asked for his opinion on how much development the village should require. This is a greater Gram Sabha and is better than Gram Sabhas that are attended by only 40 to 50 people,” Parrikar said.
He said that it was a Swedish model of democracy that he would try to put in practice in Goa.
Elaborating on his statements of corruption in Gram Sabhas, Parrikar said that there were some cases where Gram Sabha members came to blows and others flung chairs at each other.
“When money is at stake then it is those people’s interests that take charge at the Gram Sabha,” Parrikar claimed.
The chief minister reiterated his statement that the Gram Sabhas were only recommendatory bodies and that he was speaking from the legal point of view. He said that mega projects come in villages with the blessing of the Sarpanch and the local Panch, because unless the project is passed by the panchayat the project cannot go ahead and that several Sarpanchas were corrupt.
Parrikar also said that the sale of land in villages had begun only recently and more so in Salcete because a certain politician was grabbing land of hapless citizens who had gone abroad for work.
“Sale of land in villages is more in Salcete, more so because of the people have migrated abroad. Earlier even people who had migrated abroad would not sell their land. However, it started with a certain politician from Salcete who used to allow his stooges to grab lands of those residing abroad, due to which those who were abroad began to sell their lands quickly. Within 10 years everybody who was abroad sold their land,” Parrikar said adding that inherited assets should not be liquidated.
Earlier, Mauvin Godinho said that the root reason behind the agitation against the Regional Plan was to save Goa’s identity in order that it may not be lost to gated communities or land sharks.
