Team Goemkarponn
VASCO: A long-pending demand of residents of the Goa Housing Board (GHB) complex at New Vaddem in Vasco may finally see resolution, with the issue expected to be placed before the State Cabinet shortly for approval.
A meeting was held at the office of Minister Mauvin Godinho on Thursday in the presence of Goa Housing Board Chairman and Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar, Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) Chairperson Girish Borker and other officials to discuss granting ownership status to residents of the Housing Board plots at New Vaddem.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, GHB Chairman Jit Arolkar said the discussions had reached an advanced stage.
“We met at Minister Mauvin Godinho’s office to deliberate on issuing official allotment letters for the Housing Board plots at New Vaddem. This issue has caused immense hardship to residents for over 40 years,” Arolkar said.
He added that this was the third joint meeting convened on the matter. “Minister Mauvin Godinho has been consistently pursuing the issue. This is our third meeting with all Housing Board officials, along with MMC Chairperson Girish Borker and municipal staff. We are now almost at the final stage and the proposal may soon be placed before the Cabinet for approval,” he said.
Drawing a parallel, Arolkar noted, “A similar issue in Zuarinagar was cleared in yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. We are confident that the 544 plot holders at New Vaddem will also receive justice shortly. The residents should acknowledge the sustained efforts taken to resolve this decades-old matter.”
Minister Mauvin Godinho described the issue as a long-standing grievance of the people.
“Residents have been living there for over four decades, but their houses were never regularised and they were not granted ownership. This has been a major demand of the people,” Godinho said.
He stated that the government has now reached the finalisation stage. “After this third meeting, we have arrived at a practical and legally workable solution. The proposal will be sent for Cabinet approval, following which allotment letters can be issued. We are trying to expedite the process so that residents receive relief at the earliest,” he said.
Responding to critics, Godinho added, “Some have commented that this issue would never be resolved. But such long-pending matters cannot be settled overnight. We must ensure that every step complies with legal provisions and regulations. We have been following up consistently to ensure a lawful and lasting solution.”
If approved by the Cabinet, the move will regularise the ownership of 544 plots at New Vaddem, bringing closure to a dispute that has remained unresolved for more than four decades.
