Team Herald
PANJIM: Tiracol villagers in general appeared relieved that in appointing a committee to look into whether the land purchased by Leading Hotels in Tiracol is agricultural or tenanted, the government is finally attempting to clear the air around the project. Many, however, questioned the government’s motives behind the notification, calling it eyewash and nothing more than a political gimmick.
Speaking to the Herald, Francis Rodrigues, president of the St Anthony’s Tenant and Mundkar Association (SATMA) welcomed the move but said it should have come earlier.
“We are happy the government has taken this decision but it should have been done a long time ago. According to the association, 100 percent of the land is agricultural and around 90 percent is agricultural tenanted land,” Rodrigues said.
He said that for over 170 years land in Tiracol was considered to be agricultural and that it was only after 1964 that several plots became tenanted.
Tiracol parish priest, Fr Teo Fernandes, however, said there was no need for the committee. “It doesn’t make sense having something like this now. Only if they are willing to come clean on all aspects, it may be alright,” he said. He added that this could just be a political gimmick with elections not too far away.
Sudeep Dalvi, convenor of the Save Tiracol, Save Goa organization, who has been at the forefront of organising musical protests around the State against the golf course project and safeguarding the village, predicted the outcome of the report to be in favour of the hotel and Chief Minister.
“All this is just eyewash because the government has already decided what and who they want to support in this matter. It is just dirty politics that is being played here. This is just a way to show the world that they are trying to be impartial, but in the end, the report will favor Leading Hotels and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar,” Dalvi asserted.
With a final judgment pending in the High Court of Bombay at Goa, many see this as a delaying tactic but insist that the Court will look at evidence when passing its judgment.
“The court will not base its decision on the sole outcome of this report but will take a learned decision based on the evidence they have,” said Fr Fernandes, while Dalvi added that the Court will “go through proof and not gimmicks”.
