The recent directives of the Sub Divisional Magistrate
Salcete to stop the nearly three crore rupees
construction of 3.8 kms internal roads along the
khazan lands and mangroves behind the 400 year old
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Soccorro at Tambdeg Village
Panchayat Carmona is unfortunate according to some of
the village elders that this writer interacted with on
Sunday, 14th January, 2007 and today most with valid
reasons.
The above site of developmental works in Carmona comes
in the Navelim Assembly Constituency of ex CM and
Minister for Education Mr Luizinho Faleiro.
But the recent political differences (read fireworks
)between Mr Churchill Alemao MP Mormugao Parliamentary
Constituency and Mr Luizinho Faleiro MLA Navelim
Constituency has created strong ripples that has
apparently divided the villagers in two camps. Moreso
with the announcement by Mr Alemao of his intention to
contest from the Navelim Constituency polarisation of
voters pro-and anti Faleiro is taking shape.
According to an ex Panch of this village, the story
goes that in the 1860's the bunds along the river were
invariably being washed away during the monsoons and
most of the paddy fields lay inundated and could not
be used for cultivations.
It is learnt that the Veigas community from Carambolim
who had innovative techniques in bund building came
forward to do so and thus vast lands were saved from
inundation and paddy cultivation resumed. As a "quid
pro qua " the Veigas family was conferred the title of
"gaunkar" and continued to reside in the village
thereafter.
Several years later due to lack of governmental
support from the Irrigation Department these age old
bunds began to collapse due to tidal vagaries and
therefore again the paddy cultivation was restricted.
Many abandoned the same. It is also pertinent to know
that villagers also resorted to fishing using gelatine
sticks and this too added to collapse of the bands.
In the year 1999-2000 when the Mr Francisco Sardinha
(MLA Curtorim) Government took office with the support
of the Bharatiya Janata Party following a split in the
Indian National Congress the local MLA Mr Luisinho
Faleiro was in the Opposition camp.
At that time the VP Carmona passed a resolution to
undertake construction of internal roads along the
bands with the sole intention that this would help in
maintainence of bands simultaneously by the Government
and with the movement of people on the roads the
instances of use of gelatine sticks for fishing would
come to an end.
This proposal it is believed received full support
from the Sardinha Government and incidentally it is
also learnt that Mr Aleixo Sequeira MLA Loutolim who
was then a Minister for Industries and Information
Technology in the Sardinha Government also welcomed
this proposal. It is also understood that Mr Sequeira
owns a shrimp farm (though this writer could not
venture to the site as the same has been rendered
inaccessible due to stoppage of work and boulders and
drain water concrete pipes laid accross to prevent
movement on foot or on wheels along the internal
roads)
Some villagers who spoke to this writer stated that
the works should have been initiated much earlier, as
by now most of the paddy fields are destroyed.
Amother villager argued strongly that due to the
change in Government with the BJP coalition of Mr
Manohar Parrikar taking office on 24th October 2000
the delay was obvious as the Land Acquisition process
started from publication sec 4 to proclamation sec 6
that it took over an year, and the award under sec
11 and payments etc took over two years. The land
accquired belonged to the Communidade and some 20
private land owners.
Many of the younger generation among the villagers
also feel that work on this internal road has been
going on in full swing and will end up at the shrimp
farm of Mr Aleixo Sequeira MLA now in the Indian
National Congress. This they feel is the reason why
the road work is in full swing before the code of
conduct for the ensuing elections come about, in
February or May 07 (and in any case even much earlier
once the UP Government of Mulayam Singh is ousted to
pave way for the elections )
Some rumoured that the shrimp farm belonged to the
lone UGDP MLA Cortalim Mr Mathany Saldanha but this is
far from the truth as the village elders confirmed to
this writer that his mother hails from the Carmona
village but Mr Mathany has nothing to do with the
shrimp farms.
However what seemed to have irked members of the Goa
Bachao Abhiyan whose convenor South had lodged the
complaint is that the road construction has resulted
in some mangroves being cut but their biggest
apprehension is that slowly but surely the realtors
would come forward to own and build resorts etc
because of the enchanting and scenic beauty
overlooking the Assolna ferry crossing. As it is some
apartments are taking shape in this village in the
form of Residency's and this could also change the
demographic composition of the serene atmosphere in
the otherwise seafarers village.
There is also the Zog Mobor Island which has always
been in controversy though there is no developmental
activity seen by this writer who had visited the
island as well save for shrimp farming carried on for
well over 8 years now and a small farm house on the
Island rebuilt from an existing structure ? on only a
part of the island which belongs to family of Mr
Luizinho Faleiro Minister for Education and three
others. That these structures are in violation of CRZ
regulations is for the authorities to examine whether
they existed prior to February 1991 before the CRZ
notification came about and if the Environment
Protection Act 1986 is violated.
Yet another section of the people that this writer
contacted telephonically later this evening as a
follow up to yesterdays site inspection state that
they are suspicious of the motives of some of the
leaders of the Goa Bachao Abhiyan now that the issue
of the Regional Plan 2011 is in court; they say that
some of the leaders have aroused a feeling that it was
only some of the elected representatives of the
minority community which is responsible for the
glaring discrepancies in the Regional Plan 2011 and
the change of land use mainly in the Velhas Conquistas
and have threatened to ask for the list of all the
land holdings that have been granted change of land
use since 1988 when the "five years" period of
section 17 of the TCP Act 1976 was deleted by an
amendment by the Indian National Congress allowing
for review of the Regional Plan 2001 at all times.
Why not blame ALL elected representatives past and
present instead of only members of the Catholic
community they allege. It is a fact that most of the
private land in the Velhas Conquestas (1510 to 1961 )
belonged to either private landowners mostly Catholics
and the rest the Gaunkaries (communidades) If the
private land owners (mostly Catholic community )have
changed land use it is also the Government who has
usurped the powers of the Gaunkaries and leased land
to mainly non goans for a song. The destruction of
Communidade land by resorting to regularising
squatters and members of the majority community has
been the excercise of successive elected
representatives to rake in the "moolah". In June 2002
the Government mooted the idea of regularising
encroachments on Gaunkary (communidade) land and this
list is a guarded secret because members of the high
class majority community have a share as well. They
argued if there ought to be transparency then these
lists should be posted on the Government website at
the earliest.
They also pointed out to a development working taking
place between Margao to Nuvem which is believed to be
done in Communidade land involving land filling of
paddy field and a young politician who is yet to test
the electoral battle and are surprised that the
National channels like NDTV etc that are covering the
destruction of lands in Goa has not attracted the
attention of this gigantic structure which is nearing
completion on NH 17 in full public glare and is a
clear violation of change of land use. Once up and in
use others will follow suit and large tracts of paddy
land will be converted shortly.
There are umpteen such instances which some of the
majority community members of the Goa Bachao Abhiyan
they say have ignored just to give the minority
community a bad name as happened during the Konkan
Railway and Meta Strips issue. Incidentally when such
issues are raised the Church falls prey to the
chicanery of the agitationists but fall short of
realising the political undercurrents and harm it does
to the Catholic community. Why name the movement
"Abhiyan" does this not reflect the "architects of the
movement and their clandestine demand" notwithstanding
the fact that the Regional Plan portends several ills
if passed in its present form.
Nevertheless with the SDM expected to submit his
report on the improvement of internal roads at Tambdeg
Carmona in a day or two villagers expect the work to
commence albeit with due safeguards to preserve the
mangroves and bund.
>From the Carmona end
GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES,
BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA)
+91 98221 58584 (24 HRS)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
__________________________________________________________
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