CALANGUTE: The dumping of garbage
on comunidade land atop the Calangute hill figured prominently at an
extraordinary meeting of the comunidade of Calangute held recently.

Besides this, issues of encroachment by vendors on land at the weekly
Saturday market, illegal constructions on comunidade land and fields,
and non-cultivation of agricultural land by tenants, also figured at the
meeting.

Calangute comunidade attorney Antonio D’Souza,
speaking to ToI, said that the meeting resolved to sort out the issue of
dumping of garbage atop the Calangute hill by the Calangute panchayat
in an amicable manner.

“They’re dumping the garbage there on
land belonging to the comunidade for the last 10 years without paying
any compensation. We’re not saying, stop it, but let us enter into a
lease agreement so that the share-holders of the comunidade can benefit.
Now the panchayat is saying that the state government has asked them to
acquire the land to build a garbage treatment plant. We’ve resolved to
take an appointment with the panchayat and the sarpanch to resolve the
issue amicably,” he said.

The issue of the weekly Saturday market near the church
on comunidade land also featured at the meeting. Members pointed out
that while the land is meant to be used temporarily by the vendors on
Saturdays, some of them have set up permanent residences there, thereby
depriving vendors of space at the market and also inconveniencing the
public. They alleged that this is nothing but vote-bank politics.

Says Antonio D’Souza, “When we try to remove them with the help of the
authorities, they go to the courts and the matter drags on for years.
There are so many illegal constructions on comunidade land here, that I
call it day-light robbery.”

The issue of farmer tenants on
comunidade land failing to cultivate the agricultural fields also
figured at the meeting. It was pointed out that this is being done
because of sky-rocketing prices of land in Calangute.

D’Souza
also referred to a large number of huge resorts in the village which
have encroached on comunidade land, giving the example of one resort
which has built soak-pits in a nullah-pathway belonging to the
comunidade.

“We’re saying, pay us some compensation and do it.
Whenever people in need have asked us for land, we’ve given them. We’ve
given land for the community’s needs, we’ve given land for an overhead
tank, PWD offices and electricity office. We’re there for the
community’s needs, but this daylight robbery has to stop,” he said.