HERALD CAMPAIGN
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: More than 400 illegal
constructions of mostly locals have sprung up on the land belonging to the
Comunidade of Anjuna with the magnanimous blessings of politicians, inviting
the cynical tag of Fukot Waddo to this particular ward of Anjuna.
 |
| Specimen of Agreement of Assignment of Grant made by Anjuna Comunidade’s then managing committee. |
Many of these illegal houses are rented
out to foreigners during the tourist season for around Rs 3,000 per month and
the illegal encroachers make a killing essentially on Comunidade land, claiming
that they are landless. The Comunidade falls within the jurisdiction of the
Siolim constituency presently represented by Water Resources Minister Dayanand
Mandrekar.
The former Administrator of Bardez
Narayan M Gad refused to act against the illegalities even when memoranda and
complaints were submitted to him and much pressure exerted for him to act
against the encroachers.
The managing committee of the Comunidade
of Anjuna of which Bartholomew D’Souza was attorney had written to Gad to
initiate action against the more than 400 illegal constructions in survey
numbers 407 and 436 of Anjuna village, but he failed to do so, informs D’Souza.
“Most of these illegal occupants
themselves have their own houses, but have illegally occupied Comunidade land,
claiming that they are landless”, D’Souza informed.
D’Souza alleged that the previous
managing committee of Comunidade of Anjuna had
opened secret bank accounts in the name of the Comunidade and tried to
falsely regularize illegal encroachments by accepting cash at Rs 225 per square
metre (officially), when the Government had fixed the rate for Anjuna village
at over Rs 900 per square metre.
The previous committee made false
agreements on stamp paper titled “Agreement of Assignment of Grant” with the
encroachers, D’Souza informed.
For instance, plot 304 located on survey
number 407/1,was illegally assigned to Mangaldas Khemu Govekar of Arpora for Rs
68,400 and payment of lease amount of Rs 45,000.
The committee itself admits in the
Assignment of Grant that these are encroachers but says that illegal
construction and encroachments are being regularized in view of a resolution
taken at GBM held on April 10, 2005 and extraordinary GBM held on August 14,
2005. Very amusingly, the agreement also says that the encroachers have urged
the Comunidade not to file legal proceedings against them and admitted their
guilt and requested for pardoning them.
Twenty such illegal agreements were made
even though there is no provision in the Code of Comunidades for such
agreements. Grantees were asked to pay in the bank account of the Comunidade of
Anjuna and the then escrivao (clerk) helped all encroachers to deposit their
respective amounts in the secret Comunidade bank account, D’Souza stated in his
submission to the then administrator of Comunidades of Bardez.
D’Souza, the former attorney of Anjuna
Comunidade stated that around 20 such illegal agreements and transactions were
brought to the notice of Gad, with proof of the illegal transactions, including
the illegal agreements made on stamp paper. But Gad took action only against
only three occupants, that too after higher authorities were approached by his
managing committee.
No action was initiated against the 17
other illegal agreements by Gad who at that time admitted the illegalities
saying “It is understood that they too are illegal”, claims D’Souza. These
illegal structures, besides hundreds others, are flagrantly violating the
rights of the Comunidade and the lands that were handed down to the community
by their ancestors.