MMC, a den for forgeries?

The Margao Municipal Council has been marred with a huge case of forging documents. The forgery has been proved to such an extent that a municipal employee has been arrested in the case. The reasons for the forgery at the MMC may be different but it is bizarre and alarming for Goans. Renuka Tashildar, who changed herself to Rita Fernandes by forging certificates and obtaining forged government documents is a living example of how far people in Goa can go to get a Portuguese passport or to register their birth in Portugal.

Some shocking details were revealed on how anyone and everyone can make a birth certificate in a different name altogether by fooling all authorities had come to light from the Renuka Tashildar forgery case. However, it appears that no lessons have been learnt from this issue.

The accused staff of the MMC in this case has been reinstated in the service but the couple from Benaulim is now struggling to cope up with the identity theft. The MMC reportedly constituted an internal committee for the inquiry and gave a clean chit to the accused.

Internal sources at the Police station had informed that the case may not even reach the charge-sheet level as there is very little or no scope for conviction in the case. It has turned out to be a same scenario. However, this case had also revealed how easy it was to make a document in a different name to get a Portuguese birth registration using names of others. The accused Renuka had allegedly bribed the Road Transport Office and got a driving licence in the name of Rita Fernandes and further had gone ahead to make the landlords her parents. All this for the Portuguese plan.

Shadow Council of Margao had said that the ambiguity in the case and the threat to the state affairs has been clear from the investigation but there is no punitive action taken by the MMC to further discourage these cases. The MMC is again vulnerable to such forgery," SCM said.

The Shadow Council had approached the Chief Registrar to investigate into the matter but nothing happened on this front. They had even complained on a bizarre case of a birth of a child having registered when there existed no living entity in that name. This complaint was also made but nothing has happened.

Meanwhile the Police Inspector of Margao did inform Herald that the documents seized in the connection of the forgery had been sent for forensic verification to Hyderabad and they are awaiting report.

Apart from the issue of one Renuka Tehsildar turning into Reeta Fernandes, the Shadow Council had identified several other such fake registrations and had expected necessary action in this regard. However, it appears that this scheme of affairs has a strong backing. “If it is not possible to pin those guilty, the least expected was that these fake registrations would be struck off from the records,” said a Margao citizen.

Several consider it as a disgrace to “Goenkars” as Goans try our best to say that our fellow Goans are non-Goans/Indians by virtue of being compelled to obtain Portuguese passports to earn a living. And on the other hand non-Goans take the pride and liberty to register themselves as Goans and take benefits of all Government schemes including Government jobs, opined another citizen.

The concerned authorities are therefore urged to immediately strike off all fake registrations and take strong action against the culprits, said a former councillor.

--