Goemkarponn Desk
CANACONA: Addressing media, residents of Agonda informed they all are Niz Goenkar and do not consist of migrants and contrary to opposition claims, their (Agonda residents) request to Chief Minister is apolitical and not at any one’s instigation, but their own necessity .
Responding to a statement by a TMC leader that government is trying to give this land keeping an eye on Votes, ‘‘There is no political agenda in our move, neither this is politically motivated, we have come out only because We have faced the troubled and are pained, .We came out when we got demolition order and approached courts. No one told us or have instigated us to come out, of the constant threat to demolish our residential houses, when we came to know Chief Minister statement to come to the rescue of people living in communidade land for ages, we didn’t lost time and met chief minister at his residence putting forth our demand for early regularization of our houses in Agonda. Let the opposition say anything, it doesn’t concern us. We don’t interfere in politics, we only want our house to be regularized. We don’t want to keep these troubles for future.’, said Adv Fiona Rodrigues.
“We are local residents living here for ages now, even some generations have passed since we are living here. A few days back we met our Chief Minister and informed him we are the people of Agonda, living in communidade land and frequently we are being served with notices, demolition orders and then we had to approach courts and this type of process goes on taking place. For so many years our people have been running to the courts, some cases are in Mamlatdar, Collector, Civil Courts, and some months ago around 78 of us received demolition orders. We challenged these demolition orders in the High Court in April-May month, and its result came fifteen days ago that our appeal is allowed and remanded back to the Administrator. However, the same thing will happen, the court will ask us to file our reply but we will stick back to the same and we will get demolition orders yet again. So, this is a constant threat our people in Agonda have fearing when our houses will be demolished/’, Adv Fiona said, stating this is how they have approached CM when our CM made a statement of his willingness to regularize houses in communidade land.
However, some people said the Chief Minister has come out just to help migrants. We want to give a message here, that the over 250 people who had met the Chief Minister at his residence and amongst all the people who have assembled even now there are no migrants. We all are locals here. We are Agonda villagers and we are born here as well’. Adv Rodrigues
We are just appealing to the government to please regularize our houses and save us from the fear we are living in constantly.
CM has assured us that the issue will be taken up in the winter session of the assembly and we are really positive about it. What we again request of our Chief Minister is to please bring in the legislation at the earliest and save our houses and release us from the constant fear we are made to live-in.’ Said Nandkishore Phaldessai.
According to residents, they are always being threatened with notices by Communidade, almost after every change of committee’s every 2 years. These notices should stop and also no one should get demolition orders. There are more than 500 hours in communidade land
An elderly lady said, ‘even our elders faced this same situation, we are facing, our children are facing and grand-children are living in such fears. Let our grandchildren atleast live peacefully,
opposition speaks in different tones, and we don’t blame them as it is their job to speak. But they should realize on whom they speak. We are Goenkar, this land is of Goans, no one brought this land from anywhere nor prepared it. We Goans only are living here and we had invested and cultivated these lands.-
