Two Aquem-Baixo groups spar as Revenue Min looks on helplessly

the goan I network

MARGAO

Two groups of Aquem-Baixo villagers came face to face in the presence of Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate during her visit to the village over the long-pending contentious issue of granting certificate of title to the residents in accordance with the Goa (Allotment of Certain Displaced Persons) Act, 2016.   

 Midway through the heated exchanges, the Revenue Minister got up from her chair and stood near the officials as the two groups came face to face. Heated exchanges also ensued between local MLA Luizinho Faleiro and a resident over the issue.   

 When the situation again threatened to go out of control, Jennifer was on her feet, saying there’s not much to discuss with the two groups out to counter and shout down each other. “I have come here to solve your issue. But, one can see two groups of people here and there’s not much to discuss. If you fight like this, the issue will not be resolved,” Jennifer said.   

 Saying that she had decided to come to the village at the request of local MLA Luizinho Faleiro after the issue was brought up in the Assembly, Jennifer sought some time to study the file before arriving at a decision.   

“Give me some time to study the file. I will come back again with a solution. My department people are here and they also want time to study,” she said.   

 Without setting any deadline to resolve the issue, the Revenue Minister said, “Sometimes, it takes time. We have to start afresh and 

take the issue to its logical conclusion”.   

 “I understand the frustrations of the people here given that the issue dates back to 1964, but I will work out a solution,” she promised.   

 The issue pertains to the requisition of land admeasuring 35,690 square meters in the village under the Defence Act after the local populace were displaced to make way for setting up of the military camp at Rawanfond.   

 Though the residents have been occupying the land in question over the decades, they are still to receive the certificate of title under the Goa (Allotment of Certain Displaced Persons) Act, 2016.   

 Tempers ran high over the payment of advocate fees as it was earlier decided during the tenure of former Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, that the government would bear the fees of the lawyer representing the people.   

Adv Bairon Rodrigues explained that it was decided by the former Defence Minister that the government would pay the lawyer’s fees, adding “when everything is ready, it is surprising that the government is yet to hand over the letter of possession to the people.”   

 Faleiro later told the media that he had raised the issue in the House after some people approached him saying they have received notices from the panchayat and BDO for construction of their houses on the land.   

“In the past, we had won around three cases pertaining to the same issue. I did not interfere in the matter for 10 years from 2007 to 2017 when the constituency was represented by Churchill Alemao and later by Avertano Furtado,” he said.   

 While saying that only a handful of people enacted today’s drama before the Revenue Minister, Faleiro said the Manohar Parrikar government had taken certain steps to resolve the issue.   

However, the issue was not taken to its logical conclusion as a result of which the people are yet to receive their letters of possession, he added.