Administrator of Comunidade directed to act within 4 months
MAPUSA
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Administrator of Comunidade, North, to investigate the alleged illegal conversion of comunidade land allocated to an automobile company and to take necessary action within four months.
The directive came while disposing of a writ petition filed by social activist Sanjay Barde and others, who challenged the use of comunidade land for commercial purposes.
The court referred to the recent amendment to the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070, which the petitioners relied upon and which states that land granted for a specific purpose must revert to the comunidade if used otherwise.
The case involves a service station constructed on land belonging to the Mapusa Gramastha Hindu Sabha, which manages the crematorium at Dattawadi, Mapusa.
The property was originally donated by the Mapusa comunidade for social purposes, and comunidade members insist that such land cannot be leased for commercial activities.
The construction of the service station previously faced controversy as it was carried out without the necessary permissions. The Mapusa Municipal Council had also issued a show-cause notice to the contractor over the matter.
Barde has also accused Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza of influencing the crematorium committee to lease the land to the automobile company, in which he allegedly has a stake.
The High Court has instructed the Administrator of Comunidade to treat the petition as a formal representation and to take appropriate action in line with the amended Article 31-A, ensuring compliance within the stipulated four-month period.
MLA defends legality of car showroom
MAPUSA: Deputy Speaker and Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza has refuted allegations of illegal construction of a car showroom and service station on land belonging to the crematorium, asserting that all necessary permissions have been obtained.
Responding to accusations regarding the land’s unauthorized commercial use, D’Souza dismissed claims of illegality. “What do you mean illegal? I have every required permission. The land is not mine; it has been taken on lease. The construction has been carried out with valid licenses, including trade licenses and consent to operate from the concerned departments,” he stated.
