‘Land sharks’ to benefit from Bhumiputra Bill not people, alleges Goencho Avaaz Party

VASCO: Goencho Avaaz Party after its critical analysis of passing the Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill, which has been changed to Goa Bhumi Adhikarini Bill, alleged that it was passed in haste to favour the ‘land sharks’ and not the migrated locals of Goa. 

In a press statement issued on Friday the party stated, “In conjunction with experts and legal luminaries it conducted a close analysis of the bill. In a shocking revelation, it was discovered that it is the land sharks and not the people, who will be the actual beneficiaries of this bill. Under the guise of providing land and housing to the new “Bhumiputras,” this Bill is in reality a massive data collection exercise by the Government, to be used against the people for the benefit of the real estate lobby,” alleged Goencho Avaaz.

Goencho Avaaz further claimed that, unsuspecting people who shared their information with the government might in fact, be exposing themselves to victimisation by land sharks. It is alleged that the authorities intend to share this data with the real estate lobby, which is on the prowl for land, which is in increasingly short supply in Goa.

Articulating the key findings of the bill, Captain Viriato Fernandes, State convener of Goencho Avaaz Party said ‘’The Machiavellian machinations of the BJP party, as highlighted by this Bill, will be the final nail in the coffin of Goa. This data bank of illegalities, which will be innocently volunteered by the potential victims themselves, will certainly prove to be a convenient weapon in the arsenal of the BJP government for blackmailing and extortion purposes of both Goans as well as settlers. Corruption will increase manifold. This was clearly seen in 2017 in Zuari Nagar, Sancoale, where people were promised legalisation of their illegal structures on payment of unreceipted money. To date, despite the money having allegedly changed hands, the status quo remains unchanged, and as usual it is the people who continue to suffer.” 

Capt.Fernandes further added that one may recollect a similar thing having been carried out in Chicalim Panchayat in 2004-2005 on the eve of the Assembly elections at the behest of then Cortalim MLA. A huge number of villagers living in houses existing since decades were made to submit affidavits stating that their houses were illegal and requesting for regularization. There has been no outcome to that and in fact, the villagers are now living with a sword hanging over their heads. The late MLA Matanhy Saldanha had then alleged that Mauvin Godinho was fooling the people for votes” said Fernandes.

Fernandes added that ‘’Now fast forward to the Bhumi Adhikarini Bill. This scam in the making was inadvertently revealed by CM Pramod Sawant, when he interrupted Mauvin Godinho during the announcement to categorically assert that giving of house numbers was only for taxation purposes and not for regularisation.’’

 “Many people who have invested in properties and land, will not have recourse to any legal provisions to protect their assets. Does this Act supersede contracts entered into between landlords and tenants? I urge the people to take this Act very seriously and to understand its grave implications and dangers as it could financially ruin many and create an army of homeless people” Fernandes added.

‘’It will be recalled that the Government had passed a Bill in 2016 itself, named as ‘REGULARISATION OF UNAUTHORISED STRUCTURES’. What happened to that law? And what happened to the over 8000 houses that were identified under the law as unauthorised? They were not regularised, because that Act was only a gimmick for the forthcoming 2017 elections. In fact, CM Pramod Sawant has himself turned a blind eye to illegalities in his own constituency, where Upper Harvalem comunidade committee is selling 158 plots illegally, despite comunidade members approaching every authority to stop the corruption and take the land back’’ concluded Captain Viriato Fernandes.

Roshan Mathias, Vice President of Goencho Avaaz Party said ‘This is a complete breakdown of our democratic system.” 

“The audacity of the government to compromise the private assets of people for their nefarious purposes is highly unconstitutional,” he added.