Confident that axe will not fall on their illegal structures in view of the government’s rehabilitation plan
Moti Dongor residents welcome Chief Minister’s announcement of rehabilitation of notified slum in Margao.
MARGAO
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s budget speech in the Legislative Assembly had an echo in the basties atop the migrant-inhabited Moti Dongor.
Reason: With the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads for a decade now after the South Goa Administrator of Comunidades ordered demolition of the illegal structures atop the hillock owned by the Comunidade of Aquem, Chief Minister’s announcement for rehabilitation of the notified slum at Margao has rung in good news in the lanes and by-lanes atop Moti Dongor. It still isn’t a celebration time for the migrant inhabitants, but they finally see a ray of hope that the axe will not fall on their illegal structures in view of the government’s rehabilitation plan.
The CM’s budget speech must have made just a mention of the rehabilitation of the notified slum at Margao, but leaders of the migrant basty fighting a legal battle to save their structures from demolition know for sure that the rehabilitation plan unveiled by the Chief Minister is meant for the Moti Dongor area.
Like many a migrant inhabitant atop Moti Dongor hillock, a smile lit the face of petitioner in the High Court, Maulan Balabatti as he welcomed the Chief Minister’s budget speech focusing on the rehabilitation of notified slum in Margao.
“We had some idea that the government is working on a rehabilitation plan for the Moti Dogor residents since we were taken in the loop by the concerned people. We are confident that the announcement would be taken to the logical conclusion with a rehabilitation plan for the Moti Dongor residents”, Maula said.
He added: “The Moti Dongor is a slum notified by the authorities in the 80’s. Hence, Moti Dongor qualifies for rehabilitation by the government”.
Maula is one of the petitioners who had knocked the doors of the High Court around a decade ago after the then South Goa Administrator of Comunidades, Sangeet Naik had in early August, 2013 ordered the demolition of the illegal structures belonging to the 210 persons on land owned by the Aquem Comunidade and restoration of the land to its original condition. The Administrator had further directed the parties to remove the structures within 10 days from the order.
Since then, the sword of Damocles has been hanging over the heads of the Moti Dongor inhabitants, with the appeal filed by the residents pending in the High Court.
