------------------------------------------------------------------------
* G * O * A * N * E * T **** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANKA SERVICES
For all your Goa-based media needs - Newspapers and Electronic Media
Newspaper Adverts, Press Releases, Press Conferences
www.ankaservices.com
[email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citizens call for registering of Goan clubs in Mumbai
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, JAN 25
Faced with threats from landlords and the very existence of the Goan clubs -
kuds -
in Mumbai for want of maintenance, public spirited citizens from Mumbai and Goa
on
Sunday appealed to Club members to form committees to register the century-old
Clubs
for the transfer of ownership from the landlords.
Plans are also afoot to form a Federation of all Goan clubs, numbering 250, and
even
approach the Goa government for a soft loan to undertake the periodic
maintenance of
the clubs.
Mumbai-based Thomas Sequeira, retired deputy general manager of Bank of India
and
National vice-president of All India Catholic Union along with Jose D'Costa
guided
members of various clubs from Salcete how to go about registration of the clubs
into
a trust to save the clubs for future generations.
During an interaction held in Navelim on Sunday, Sequeira told the participants
that
every club should form an executive committee of 10 members before approaching
the
Charity Commissioner for registration into a trust. "Our first priority is to
form a
committee of the members, register the club into a trust and then form a
Federation
of Clubs", he said.
Sequeira said these clubs were the foresight of our forefathers, who acquired
these
properties on rent basis since decades ago. These clubs were well looked after
till
some 10 years back, but are now neglected as they are used only by a few", he
added.
Saying that the threat to these clubs is real, Sequeira said the big land
sharks are
out to grab the clubs, while the landowners are not interested to transfer the
ownership of the clubs.
"These clubs were in the name of the managers, many of whom are dead. Landlords
are
not transferring the clubs to the members. The only alternative is to register
the
club and fight it out with the landlords for the transfer of the clubs. The
good
news is that we have a battery of lawyers ready to fight to protect the clubs",
he
added.
"Our first priority is to register the clubs and not to allow the structures to
crumble. If that happens, the rights would be lost forever", he warned.
Saying that the Clubs form the capital of Goans, Sequeria said the Goa
government
would be approached for soft loans to maintain the structured after the
formation of
the federation.
Jose D'Costa said the group of volunteers was in the process of drafting a
constitution for the proposed federation of clubs. "The moment around 20-40
clubs
are formed, we will form the federation', he said.
Giving the statistics, D'Costa said there were around 343 clubs in Mumbai
around
1976 and the number has now come down to 242. "Our initiative is to save the
remaining clubs for posterity", he added.
http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=16196&cid=26
