MAPUSA: As per the High Court order, fresh elections to appoint a new managing committee of the Saligao Comunidade will be held on September 25. Three gaumkars of Saligao had challenged the nomination of three persons from Saligao to head the committee as proper elections could not be held last time due to lack of quorum.
A petition in this regard was filed in the High Court and the court then directed the state government to hold fresh elections. Accordingly, the new date has been set... (Navhind Times, September 12, 2011). * * * MLAs slam comunidades for fixing 'illegal' rates of fields TNN Mar 23, 2011, 03.16am IST PORVORIM: With Saligao BJP MLA Dilip Parulekar accusing the Saligao comunidade of illegalities, revenue minister Jose Philip D'Souza assured the legislative assembly on Tuesday of investigating the matter and initiating action within three months. Parulekar's barrage against the Saligao comunidade followed his starred question regarding the "rate fixed for purchase of land from the comunidade". Parulekar, who had raised the allegations against the Saligao comunidade in the last session of the legislative assembly as well, this time declared that the Saligao comunidade had illegally fixed their own price for paddy fields in the village. He also said that in violation of government rules which fixed the rate of land at 0.40 paisa per square metre, the comunidade had fixed a higher price for its fields and was selling them at their own rates. "The Saligao comunidade took money over and under the table. The cases of people refusing to pay comunidade prices have been pending in courts for years," Parulekar alleged. The Saligao MLA even cited survey numbers and the high rates at which these lands were being sold at by the Saligao comunidade. "This is lootmaar.This is hukum shahi (dictatorship). You give sops to agriculture. But in such circumstances, people will never sow the fields," Parulekar said. Agreeing with Parulekar, Aldona Congress MLA Dayanand Narvekar said that the issue was not restricted only to the Saligao comunidade. "Take action against the comunidade. They cannot supersede the legislative assembly," Narvekar said, referring to the rate of 0.40 paisa fixed by the government. With the revenue minister conceding that the Saligao comunidade cannot fix prices and that what it has done is "illegal", the opposition demanded a time frame from the minister for acting against the comunidade. Narvekar joined in the barrage saying that while farmers want to do agriculture, comunidades were "harassing" them. "Tell them that tenants have become deemed owners. Will the government come out with a policy statement banning comunidades from fixing their own rates for lands?" Narvekar asked. The revenue minister finally assured the MLAs of taking action within three months. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-23/goa/29177926_1_comunidade-saligao-mla-parulekar * * * 'Govt trying to take over Saligao, Nerul comunidades' TIMES NEWS NETWORK, TNN Jan 20, 2011, 12.54am IST PANAJI: Backed by former chief minister Wilfred de Souza, the Saligao comunidade on Wednesday accused the government of trying to illegally take over only the Saligao and Nerul comunidades although elections were not held in 11comunidades of Bardez taluka. The attorney of Saligao comunidade, Austin da Gama, accompanied by president George Carvalho, told a press conference that Saligao and Nerul comunidades are being singled out for illegal takeover probably at the behest of the land mafia. Gama, however, went on record to say that the move to take over Saligao comunidade was instigated by non-gaunkars who were denied plots by the comunidade. Both admitted that the term of the present managing committee is over but stressed the fact that the Saligao gaunkars have passed a resolution urging the existing managing committee to continue. They said there was no new managing committee because elections were not held in 11 comunidades of Bardez taluka. They said they were open to elections to appoint a new committee. Wilfred de Souza also accused the government of acting unfairly by singling out only two comunidades of Saligao constituency for takeover. De Souza urged the government to treat all comunidades equally, to follow the code of comunidades and to hold elections to get new managing committees to the comunidades. These protests follow a recent order of the state revenue department directing the present managing committee of the Saligao comunidade to hand over charge to another managing committee appointed by the revenue department. De Souza and the comunidade managing committee members have said this does not comply with the code of comunidades and is therefore, "illegal." De Souza said his attempts to phone the revenue minister Jose Philip D'Souza were unsuccessful as the minister was not answering his phone. De Souza however quoted the minister as earlier justifying the move to take over the Saligao comunidade by saying that the Saligao BJP MLA was raising the issue in the legislative assembly. "Just because questions are being asked in the assembly and you cannot answer them, does not mean you can displace the existing committee illegally. You must follow the process of law," De Souza said. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-20/goa/28369797_1_11comunidades-saligao-comunidade-saligao-bjp-mla * * * ‘Land grabbers’ behind destabilising Saligao comunidade: attorney HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, JAN 19 In serious allegations, Attorney of Saligao comunidade Ostrin da Gama has said that some people interested in ‘land grabbing’ were the forces behind destabilizing Saligao and Nerul comunidades. “I had received certain fillers that there are people interested in grabbing the land in Saligao as prices are increasing every day. They are the people in the government who have sent the fillers,” da Gama told reporters in Panjim today. Briefing media in presence of former Saligao legislator Dr Wilfred de Souza and Saligao comunidade president George Carvalho, da Gama refused to name anyone. He said the State Government was trying to take over the institution since last three months. He, however, said that the Revenue Ministry was acting against the wishes of Gaunkars by trying to replace the existing committee. “Without Revenue Ministry’s backing this order would not have come,” the attorney said refusing to elaborate whether the people within ministry were after land grab attempts. Da Gama said that of the total 15 comunidades in Bardez, who did not go for elections to elect fresh committee, only two comunidades are being targeted by the authorities. “They are trying to have non-Gaunkars on these communities,” he said. The attorney said that the current committee is ready to step aside and watch the new committee take over but it should be done through elections. “We are ready to step down and welcome new committee but let the development be decided by group of Gaunkars and not by two individuals,” he said. He said Saligao comunidade had held a meeting on October 24, 2010 to deliberate on the attempts to take over the comunidade. “In this meeting, it was resolved that current care taking committee will continue till new committee is elected,” da Gama added. He claimed that Saligao is the only comunidade which has not sold a single plot and is undertaking three community projects. “These are very good projects which are being stalled by the government due to this development,” da Gama added. http://www.heraldgoa.in/News/Local%20News/lsquo-Land-grabbers-rsquo-behind-destabilising-Saligao-comunidade-attorney/44945.html FN +91-832-2409490 or +91-9822122436 (after 2pm) #784 Nr Lourdes Convent, Saligao 403511 Goa India http://fn.goa-india.org http://goa1556.goa-india.org -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to saligao-net@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe email saligao-net-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
