TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: The Seraulim gram sabha on Sunday demanded dual citizenship for Goans holding Portuguese citizenship and special status for Goa.
Gram sabha member Santornino Rodrigues set the ball rolling by tabling a solution demanding protection of properties of Goans, assets and families. He demanded that the motion approved by gram sabha be forwarded to the Governor of Goa to put it before the President of India with copy to the Chief Minister of Goa.
Rodrigues said, “Goans will say in one voice that they are Goans and will remain Goans forever and no one dare to send them to Portugal or anywhere else just because of the registration of their births somewhere else. “ He claimed that it is Goans birthright to register birth in Portugal according to naturalization, on the basis of being born in Goa during colonial rule or being born of Goan parents confers the automatic right toward acquiring legitimate benefits.
Taking a dig at Alemaos, Rodrigues said that the same people who are driving Goans out have registered themselves in Portugal.
Incidentally, there was commotion over announcement made in the local church on gram sabha however Sarpanch Dourado clarified that as per the required norms advertisement had been published on a daily newspaper and notice put up at designated spots/places.
Rodrigues also raised issue of Ram Sena coming to Goa and members strongly opposed allowing Ram Sena to have its office in Goa as they would force their code on Goans and took resolution objecting.
The issue of migrants residing in the village again rocked at the gram sabha with sarpanch informing that panchayat had already asked the police to carry verification and also that decision had been taken by gram sabha to fine those renting o0ut rooms and not filling up police verification forms. Sarpanch Dourado informed gram sabha members that the panchayat body has written to KRC authorities to give the exact location of proposed fly over to be constructed near railway crossing promising to place it before gram sabha. A resolution was taken to acquire and widen the road after the railway crossing as the same was accident prone.
