MARGAO: Raia villagers resolved to demand political reservation for Scheduled Tribes at the gram sabha held on Sunday and urged the government to implement it immediately.
Gram sabha member Manuel Barbosa stated that political reservation for ST/SC community is a constitutional right which is due for the last several years.
He said that more than 20 years have passed since the ST status was granted by the parliament in January 2003, but till date reservation was not given to the ST community by the government.
“This is not accidental but the government is purposely not declaring the reservation and it is a great injustice done to ST people of Goa, as all must remember that the tribal people of Goa are the first settlers of this land; that means they are the original people of state of Goa, and despite knowing the same the government is depriving them by denying their constitutional due rights,” said Barbosa.
He informed that a writ petition was filed by the Goa State Scheduled Tribe Action Committee in 2007 wherein the High Court had directed to the Chief Secretary of Goa and Election Commission of India to decide the reservation to ST community within eight months, but till date nothing has been done.
Peter Quadros, Sarpanch, Village panchayat Raia said that the said resolution pertaining to political reservation for ST community will be forwarded to the concerned authorities.
