MARGAO: Citizens of Margao and the Aquem Comunidade have questioned the true intention of the announcements made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in his budget speech and if this was meant to appease the vote bank at Moti-Dongor living on Comunidade land as the proposed proposed rehabilitation of the slum could block the demolition order that was issued in 2013.
“What the Chief Minister said in the budget was that they are going to rehabilitate all the notified slums but I don’t think Moti-Dongor is a notified slum. Because when the Aquem Comunidade issued the demolition notices, it was very clearly written by the Administrator that it was not a notified slum and the Administrator is from the government. I don’t know on what legal basis they are going to rehabilitate the slums,” said Attorney of Aquem Comunidade, Celestin Noronha.
“Earlier, there was a High Court order which directed the municipality to do a survey along with the Comunidade and issue demolition notices. This order is still in the court and the matter is sub-judice. So, we have to wait and watch what the government is planning to do in the near future. This could also be called an election gimmick for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” Noronha added.
Elsewhere Margao resident and activist Jose Maria Miranda was also critical of the government.
“This is a misuse of power in what perhaps they consider conquered territory. Traitor Digambar Kamat is being rewarded in lieu of Ministership, which he has been deprived of,” said Miranda.
“It’s easy to give away what is not one’s own. Comunidade land has been an easy target to pander to vote banks by governments in Goa. CM and some of his Ministers have abundant land of their own and it would be a great gesture if they had given at least part of it for public utility. But they will never deprive themselves for public good,” Miranda added.
Former Chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) Savio Coutinho also noted how this decision stands to help the BJP Margao MLA.
“It will be interesting for Madgaonkars to realize how the BJP changed its view over the illegal hutments atop Monte hill. At one point of time former Chief Minister, late Manohar Parrikar very categorically made a statement that ‘Monti Dongor’ would be the “Kendra Bindu,” suggesting that the illegal hutments would be cleared as done at Baina. However, at that time Margao MLA Digambar Kamat was not in BJP,” said Coutinho.
“Today, with the migration of Margao MLA into the BJP, this same Monti Dongor has turned out to be the “Rehabilitation Kendra”, thus dumping the High Court proceedings in the waste bin as well. For several years now, we have been consistently hearing this lie about the hutments atop Monte hill having been notified as a slum. However, till this date nobody has seen this notification except for the Margao MLA,” Coutinho added.
“The local BJP leaders from Margao, who until recently were going hammer and tongs against the illegalities on Monte hill, will now bury their heads, with little option available to them to resist this new development. The original Madgaonkars now have another reason to applaud their representative for being generous to his vote banks, though at the cost of the taxpayer. BJP once again stands to confirm and prove that the party continues to be the best washing machine in Goa as well,” said Coutinho.
