After the recent controversory of setting up a Private trust to form an International Arbitration Centre in Goa, former Union Law Minister and current Chairman of the Goa Law Commission Mr. Ramakant Khalap now finds himself embroiled in an alleged major land scam.
Former Union Law Minister Mr. Ramakant Khalap has misused his position as Chairman of Goa Law Commission to facilitate his son to grab prime land belonging to the Comunidade of Assagao. Goa Law Commission Chairman’s youngest son Mr. Ashwin Khalap using his father’s position and political clout to construct on an agricultural tenanted land belonging to the Comunidade of Assagao. The current construction is on a plot of land a comunidade tenant Mr. Mahadev Sitaram Simepuruskar illegally and fraudulently transferred to Mr. Ashwin Khalap. The construction which is currently underway in part of survey No 158/8 is proposed to be extended to the entire survey No. Mr. Ashwin Khalap is planning to illegally grab a total of over 15, 000 sq metres belonging to Assagao Comunidade. Mr. Khalap’s project which has started with the construction of the proposed seven luxurious villas is projected to end up as a five star resort. Agricultural tenanted Comunidade land cannot be transferred. Agricultural land being used for non agricultural use is also not allowed and prohibited by law. It is an irony that Mr. Ramakant Khalap who as Chairman of Goa Law Commission has publicly been professing the need to amend Goa’s land laws to benefit the State, has himself privately conspired to help his son illegally grab prime Comunidade land. The authorities should immediately initiate action under Article 371 of the Code of Comunidade to summarily evict Mr. Ashwin Khalap from the Assagao Comunidade land bearing survey no 158/8 and all the development activity should be stopped forthwith. There needs to be a thorough probe into this entire land scam involving illegal transfer of comunidade land and those involved should be punished in accordance with law. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372
