Letterhead & Seal:
VILLAGE PANCHAYAT OF MOIRA
BARDEZ-GOA.
PH: 2470344
Ref. No.:VP/MOI/F/Or. GRAM SABHA/2012-13/855 .. Date: 14-02-2013
To:
(a) His Excellency, the President of India,
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi,
India-110 004,
Telephone: 91-11-23015321, Fax: 91-11-23-17290/91-11-23017824.
(b) Hon. Prime Minister of India, South Block,
Raisina Hill, New Delhi,
Telephone: 91-11-23012312, Fax: 91-11-23019545/91-11-23016857.
(c) Hon. Chief Minister of Goa,
Secretariat, Alto de Penha de France,
Britona, Porvorim,GOA.
Through the Block Development Officer, Bardez, Mapusa, Goa, 403 507
Sub: Proposal for the Gram Sabha to be held on 27th. January 2013 on
"Special Status for
Goa"
Resolution No. 2.6 dated 27-01-2013 of the Village Panchayat of Moira,
Bardez, Goa.
Your Excellency, Respected Sir,
I am pleased to forward the Resolution No. 2.6 passed in the Ordinary Gram
Sabha of this Village Panchayat of Moira, Bardez-Goa, held on 27th January,
2013 which is self explanatory.
Kindly consider and do the further needful in the matter at your end at an
early date for better interest of the people of Goa.
Thanking you in anticipation
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
(Mr. OSWALD A.J. CORDEIRO)
Sarpanch
Village Panchayat Moira
Bardez-Goa.
VP OFFICIAL STAMP
ENCL: as above.
**
20th. January, 2013
To,
The Sarpanch / Secretary
Village Panchayat of MOIRA,
Bardez-Goa.
Sub: Proposal for the Gram Sabha to be held on 27th January, 2013 on
'Special Status for Goa'.
Sir,
[Preamble]
Just before Goa was liberated, the late first Prime Minister of India Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru declared, at Bombay on 4th June 1956, in no uncertain terms
that Goa could choose whether it wished to merge with the Indian Union or to
remain apart from it. In fact the words used by Nehru were:
Quote
"I want to explain myself. If the people of Goa, that is minus the
Portuguese government - it and when the Portuguese go and the people of Goa
deliberately wish to retain their separate identity - I am not going to
bring them by force or compulsion or coercion into the Indian Union. I
merely say that my national interest involves the removal of the Portuguese
from Goa, not coercion being used in bringing about the union of Goa with
India, although I wish it, I desire it and it is the only solution. That is
a matter ultimately for the people of Goa to decide. I want to make it
perfectly clear that I have no desire to coerce Goa to join India against
the wishes of the people of Goa. But the point is that we feel that Goa's
individuality should remain and that whenever the time comes for any
changes, internal or other, it will be for the people of Goa acting freely
to decide upon them"
Unquote
Goa has acquired, in the course of its 451 years of subjugation under
Portugal, a unique character which is a blend of Eastern and Western
cultures. This fact was recognized by many of the Indian leaders apart from
late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru himself who on his visit to Goa in the year
1963 reiterated his earlier promise to preserve, protect and nurture this
unique culture and identity of the Goan.
Fifty years down the line the situation is tragic to say the least. From a
population of around six lakhs which was existing in Goa in 1961, the same
has risen to around 15 lakhs in 2012 and keeps increasing by leaps and
bounds despite the fact that Goans have been migrating in droves and the
natural increase in the Goan population is minimal.
The increase in the population is mainly due to the uncontrolled influx of
migrants into Goa who find employment in labour-intensive units which have
been allowed to be set up in Goa despite the fact that Goa does not possess
any labour fooce to talk about, in the construction line which is now
dominated by firms based outside Goa which are erecting mega housing
projects which are catering to the rich and powerful of India and where the
Goan is unable to find a place of abode due to the exorbitant prices
charged, in the mining sector which has seen a tremendous increase in the
tonnage of ore extracted as well as in the area being mined resulting
thereby in the destruction of forests, pollution of its rivers, depletion of
the water tables and the cause of pulmonary and other diseases to the people
residing in surrounding villages. All this has resulted in a change of the
demographic profile of Goa.
Continued on page 2.
The victory of Goans in the OPINION POLL held in the year 1967, whereby the
proposal to merge Goa with Maharastra was rejected with Goans asserting
their right to their own separate identity and the declaration of Statehood
in the year 1987, are becoming meaningless in view of the fact that Goans
are about to become a minority within the borders of Goa.
The promises made by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to safeguard the culture, ethos
and identity of the Goan are about to become a dead letter unless the
Government of India recognizes that the issue of preservation and nurture of
the Goan identity is paramount and that failure to do so would tantamount to
a violation of the human rights of the Goan people to survive as a viable
entity and would also be a violation of the United Nations Charter and its
principles with regard to erstwhile colonies.
Therefore, I, a member of the Executive Committee of the Movement for
Special Status for Goa - MSSG and the Gram Sabha member of V. P. MOIRA,
wish to propose the above Resolution to be adopted by the V.P. Moira Gram
sabha to be held on 27th January, 2013 as Under:
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Proposed by: Floriano C. Lobo Signature:
___Sd/-___________________
Seconded by: Karl D'Souza Signature:
___Sd/-___________________
And/Or
Adopted Unanimously:
Proposed Resolution continued on page 3.
RESOLUTION:
[Passed at the Gram Sabha of V.P. Moira on 27th . January, 2013]
1. That Goa be included under the Special Provisions of the Constitution of
India and more specifically under Article 371-I thereof, so that Goa's
Legislature may have ample powers to regulate on:
a) The Customary law and procedure, its language, culture and ethos.
b) Ownership and transfer of land and the exploitation of its resources and
the preservation of its natural and architectural heritage.
c) The regulation of entry and settlement of persons who are not of Goan
origin/Migrants.
d) Establishment of industries and employment therein.
e) Protection of age-old traditional institutions such as Gaumkaris
(Comunidades-Village Communities) and their assets.
f) Protection of the original SCs, STs and Gounli (Dhangars) belonging to
the State.
2. This demand by Goa is nothing new as similar protection has been provided
in States such as Nagaland and parts of the States of Maharashtra and
Gujarat as well as Assam, Manipur and Andhra Pradesh. It may be argued that
Nagaland has been provided this protection as that State comprises mainly of
tribal's. It may be noted however that if that were solely the case, then
there would not have been further provisions for the protection of the
people residing in Tuensang District of that State. The State of Goa also
comprises of Schedule tribes, Schedule Castes, Gounlis and OBCs who
constitute over 60% of the population of Goa and therefore, even on this
count, Goa has as good a case to be categorized separately in line with the
categorization given to the State of Nagaland, if need be. Let India, at
least now; keep the word given solemnly by Nehru to Goans!
3. That copies of this resolution be sent to:
(a) His Excellency, the President of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi,
India - 110 004.
Telephone: 91-11-23015321 Fax : 91-11-23017290 / 91-11-23017824
(b) Hon. Prime Minister of India. South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi,
India-110011.
Telephone: 91-11-23012312. Fax: 91-11-23019545 / 91-11-23016857.
(c) Hon. Chief Minister of Goa, Secretariat, Alto de Penha de
France/Britona/ Porvorim - Goa.
End
