BATTLE OVER VOTING JURISDICITON OF A MIGRANT SETTLEMENT CALLED “FUKAT NAGAR”

PANJIM: The battle over the voting jurisdiction of a migrant settlement called 'Fukat Nagar' on the Assagao plateau is on between the BJP-ruled Mapusa municipal council (MMC) and the Congressdominated Assagao village panchayat (VP). The matter came to light a few days ago when the Shiv Sena addressed a letter to the MMC chief officer that residents of Assagao have been given house numbers by the municipality.

 "It has come to the notice of the Shiv Sena that residents having houses near the electricity department sub-station at the Assagao hilltop, in survey No. 145 sub-division 1which is legally within the jurisdiction of the Assagao VP, have been given house numbers by the MMC. Subsequently, revenue in the form of house tax and other taxes is being collected by the Mapusa municipality which should otherwise be the revenue income of the Assagao VP," the letter signed by Shiv Sena ad hoc committee member Philip D'Souza states. It adds, "Shockingly, these residents who are mostly migrants from other states have also been issued election cards and ration cards that enable them to exercise their votes in favour of candidates of the MMC and candidates of the Mapusa constituency, who actually and technically are not candidates of their wards or constituency."

Residents are migrants, says Naik The voting rights of these residents should be in favour of prospective ward members for the Assagao VP and MLAs for the Siolim constituency," it further adds. Assagao sarpanch Pradeep Naik said the MMC had resorted to such tactics before but had to retract their steps. "The MMC had given these dwellings house numbers before, but my predecessors sent a letter to the deputy collector and the municipality and the house numbers were removed," said Naik. He added, "The residents are not locals. They are migrants, and a vote bank is being cultivated by the Mapusa MLA." BJP Mapusa MLA Francis D'Souza, when contacted, said, "They are in my constituency. They have municipal house numbers, and they pay their taxes to the MMC, which also provides them with civic facilities." Claiming that these migrant settlements "came up almost 25 years ago, even before I entered politics and became a councillor", D'Souza said, "It's not that I brought them here. I don't know why I am being blamed." He added that 'Fukat Nagar' is on the boundary between Mapusa and Assagao. "This is not an international boundary with barricades and soldiers. They (migrants) didn't know whose jurisdiction they were in when they came here.

If the Assagao VP wants them back they should do so legally," said the MLA. MMC chief officer Hanuman Toraskar, on the other hand, denied that Mapusa municipality had issued the dwellings house numbers. "The land where they live is on the Assagao plateau so how can we issue them house numbers? I am aware of the issue and have asked an MMC engineer to visit the site and to submit a report at the earliest," Toraskar said. He added, "People could have played mischief and themselves put up house numbers to get electricity and water connections. We should get the real facts out shortly." So, whose land have the dwellings come up on?

"It is ours," says Cajetan Raposo, former attorney of the land owner—the Assagao comunidade. "As for the protection of comunidade lands from such encroachments, we are in a hopeless situation. Despite running to government authorities, none of them act due to pressure from ministers and MLAs," he alleged. While residents of the migrant settlement have re-christened many of their smaller localities as 'Ekta Nagar' and the like, a few years ago, the electricity department issued bills to houses on this plateau with the address 'Fukat Nagar'. "Our ministers and MLAs don't realise the gravity of what they are doing to us and to the future generations of Goa," says Antonio Lobo, founder and core committee member of the Goemchea Rakhondarancho Awaz (Voice of the protectors of Goa). "Can we condone this because it happened 25 years ago? It is happening even now, and if we turn a blind eye, are we going to condone it 25 years ahead? said Lobo, who is also convener of the Mapusa Nagrikancho Ekvott.