This is how Pedamol was sold, plot by plot

PRATIK PARAB

pratik@herald-goa.com

PEDAMOL: There are more shocking details of the blatant illegal giveaway of comunidade land in Shirvoi, (Pedamol) that have emerged which calls for a criminal investigation. While Herald’s expose has sent shock waves within the comunidade system as well as local revenue officials, there has been no official reaction yet. 

On Tuesday we revealed how 200 houses have been built on comunidade land, mainly by migrants for Karnataka and others, who were allowed use of this land. We have further learnt that the Attorney of this Comunidade issued affidavits falsely declaring the buyers as mundkars or tenants.

 Herald got an affidavit which has been sworn by the then Attorney of the Comunidade to facilitate buyers of land at Pedamol. The affidavit sworn by Shri Ghanashyam Anant Sinai Shirvoikar, aged 67 years, elected Attorney of Sirvoi Comunidade reads.

“I say that, Comunidade of Sirvoi is the owner of the property PEDAMOLE, which as a whole is enrolled under Mattiz nos. 825….and as a whole surveyed under survey holdings 88/1; 88/3; 96/1 all of village Sirvoi within the limits of village Panchayat Xeldem in Quepem Taluka. I say that, the property under survey no. 88/1 is occupied, possessed and continuously enjoyed by different mundkars, cum, tenants having their respective residential dwelling houses in the respective portions/parts of the property, the respective mundkars have no any obligation of service nor any services are rendered to the comunidade” says the affidavit.

The affidavit further states that one of the mundkar-cum-tenants is Shri (name withheld), “aged 38 years, resident of Pedamol, Xeldem, Sirvoi, Quepem, Goa and occupies part of the property under survey no. 88/1 of village Sirvoi of Quepem having residential/dwelling house, cultivating therein chillies, seasonal varied vegetations, etc,” the affidavit says.

In short the affidavit signed by the attorney included the name of the person to whom the land was handed over to construct a house. This person was falsely declared the mundkar allowing him enjoy those rights.

Then in order to stamp the rights of this false mundkar, the affidavit further stated, “The said person is in continuous enjoyment of part of the said property as mundkar-cum-tenant without any interruption of the comunidade and has no objection to declare said (name withheld) as mundkar-cum-tenant of the part of the above said property as also consider the residence therein and take, cognizance of the same by Sirvoi Comunidade and by any concerned authorities” the affidavit further stated.

This affidavit is a clinching evidence that proves that then attorney in 2006, on the basis of these affidavits sworn and given to several people managed to make several people mundkars in the land and has allowed the houses to come up which can be seen. 

This is just one of the hundreds of affidavits which have been sworn by the successive attorneys of the Sirvoi Comunidade to allow people to come and settle at this place mostly for money.

After Herald’s first report, one of the residents living on this Pedamol land said “I have been staying in Pedamol for quite some time and have bought a ready house for nearly about 4 lakh rupees, some years ago. We never knew that it will be full of illegalities and now we feel insecure there,” she said. “I was also suggested by my son-in-law to sell it off and get to a better legal place but I ignored him then,” she said.

This lady may not be alone. There are many who have been actually duped into believing that the land on which they constructed their houses on legal or the houses they bought from previous owners were above board. And then there are others who may have bought into this illegality knowingly, confident that the corrupt system would always be their ally.

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