Team Goemkarponn
FATORDA: After nearly forty years of uncertainty, six families displaced during the construction of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Fatorda are finally set to receive ownership rights to the land they occupy.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured that the long-pending issue will be resolved under the Mhaje Ghar scheme, granting the families legal land titles.
The announcement followed a request from Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, who raised the matter during the Chief Minister’s visit to the Nehru Stadium for the naming of the West Stand after former Sports Minister, late Francisco Monte Cruz.
Following the ceremony, Sardesai, along with representatives of the six affected families, met the Chief Minister and explained that although the families had been relocated to a new site when the stadium was built, they never received formal ownership documents despite constructing houses there decades ago.
“We’ve been struggling for years to get our land titles. With the Chief Minister’s assurance, we now hope our long wait will finally end,” said one of the family members.
Responding to the appeal, Sawant instructed Sports Director Ajay Gaude to initiate the process of issuing land titles based on the original allotment letters. Sardesai clarified that while the Sports Department might not have preserved these letters, the families still retain their copies.
Terming the demand “genuine,” Sawant said the government will regularise their ownership by recognising the existing homes as Class I structures under the Mhaje Ghar scheme, subject to a nominal payment of ₹1,000.
“The families are rightfully entitled to the land allotted to them, including an additional two square metres around each house. Their ownership will be formalised accordingly,” Sawant stated.
Welcoming the Chief Minister’s assurance, Sardesai said the families had been waiting for decades for this long-overdue relief. “I hope the administration acts swiftly on the Chief Minister’s directions so these six families can finally get justice,” he added.
