MARGAO
As the High Court directions finally offer a ray of hope for the Muslim community to realise the long-pending dream of a spacious kabrastan at Sonsodo, the journey in support of a decent burial ground for the minority community has been indeed long and bumpy – since the time the Goa Legislative Assembly adopted a historic resolution in the year 2019 to the acquisition of the Sonsodo land in 2011 for the burial grounds.
For, the Muslim community in the commercial capital and Salcete had been on a virtual hunt, scouting for land over the decades in and around Margao, to set up the burial grounds, with the century-old lone kabrastan atop the Pajifond hillock in a state of saturation, falling short of the community requirements.
The community had to grapple with opposition and objections every time the authorities as well as the community identified land for the burial grounds in Margao and around Salcete countryside. Take note, the development of the Sonsodo land, acquired for kabrastan, had to be abandoned midway following protests, with the local populace objecting to the location of the kabrastan adjacent to an existing cemetery.
A glance at the records show against the backdrop of the Pajifond kabrastan reaching a point of saturation, coupled with the fact that proposals to set up the burial grounds in Salcete had met with stiff opposition, the Goa Legislative Assembly had on July 16, 1999, adopted Resolution No 25 tabled by Margao MLA Digambar Kamat in support of allocation of sufficient Comunidade land or government land in and around Margao to solve the burning issue.
Sadly, the 1999 Resolution failed to bring a change in the ground reality, with the proposal to acquire Comunidade land admeasuring 99,500 square metres meeting a natural death.
After the Muslim community’s plea to provide spacious land for the kabrastan fell on the deaf ears of successive governments, the intervention of the National Commission for the Minorities helped to set in motion the proposal to acquire land for the burial grounds in 2009 when Digambar Kamat was heading the Congress-led government.
It was against this backdrop, the Kamat government along with the Margao Municipality proceeded to acquire 30,000 square metres of land at Sonsodo, which culminated in the acquisition of the land in question in 2011 and the Margao Municipality inking an agreement with the Jamia Masjid, Malbhat to look after the maintenance of the burial grounds.
Records state that the work on the burial grounds was awarded to an agency in December 2011, but the work did not commence for reasons over a significant variation in the earthwork excavation.
Around a decade later in 2017, the issue took the centre stage once again when the local populace hit the streets, opposing the proposed kabrastan on the acquired land tooth and nail. Demarcation of the property in question under police protection saw the residents vehemently object to the location of the burial grounds on the plea there’s no Muslim population in the locality and the kabrastan is coming up right adjacent to the existing Christian cemetery.
Sensing the mood of the local people, more so after angry residents roughed up members of the clergy, who had come from Panaji to attend a meeting called to oppose the kabrastan, after the duo were perceived as pro-kabrastan supporters, local Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, who was then the TCP Minister in the Manohar Parrikar regime, got the kabrastan proposal shifted to Khareband and changed the zone of the acquired land at Sonsodo in the Margao ODP to low-cost housing. The Margao Municipal Council, then controlled by Sardesai, too adopted a resolution to set up the kabrastan at Khareband, with the Parrikar regime even sanctioning Rs 15 crore for the project.
The proposal, however, could not take off after it met with stiff opposition from the people of Khareband and Sirvodem. And, a change of guard in the SGPDA saw the proposal hitting a dead end.
Court not informed of resolution adopted on alternate land: Vijai
Stating that the BJP has done what the party and its government wanted at Sonsodo, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai has said the government did not bring to the notice of the High Court the resolution in respect of the alternate land for kabrastan proposed at Khareband.
He, however hastened to add that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and the BJP councillors will be able to answer what would happen next in respect of the issue.
Sardesai recalled that the land at Sonsodo was acquired by Kamat when he was not even the MLA representing Fatorda. “There were some issues over the Sonsodo land because of the gradient. Since there were social issues, I had got the proposal shifted to Khareband which plays host to a significant Muslim community,” he said.
Sardesai said he fully sympathises with the sentiment of the High Court that the demand of the Muslim community for a kabrastan has been long overdue and needs to be resolved on a war footing.
HC order should be respected by all: Digambar
The Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA has expressed his satisfaction that the Muslim community has finally got relief over the kabrastan issue.
“The community has been seeking relief on the issue for a long time. Finally, the High Court has now issued directions to the authorities to complete the kabrastan work within six months,” Kamat said, adding that this should certainly give the much-needed relief to the community.
He added: “Since the High Court has given the directions and set a timeline to complete the work, the sentiments of the Court should be respected by all.”
MMC councillor hails order
MMC councillor Mahesh Amonkar, who had gone on an indefinite hunger strike in front of the Municipality earlier this year in support of kabrastan at Sonsodo, has welcomed the High Court order on the burning issue.
Saying the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had played a big role in the kabrastan issue, Amonkar said the CM had called then Margao Municipal Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes to Panaji to file an affidavit in support of the kabrastan at Sonsodo.
He also thanked Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, who had acquired the Sonsodo land for kabrastan in 2011.
