Pernem: The Goa Kul Mundkar Sangharsh Samiti on Thursday demanded an end to decades-long delays in settling tenant land rights as it marked 50 years of the Kul Mundkar legislation with a day-long demonstration at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Pernem.
The protest marked the 50th anniversary of the Kul Mundkar Act, enacted on October 8, 1976, under then chief minister Shashikala Kakodkar.
Committee leaders alleged that thousands of actual tillers continue to remain classified as tenants, while land records retain the names of traditional landlords. They said several cases pending before mamlatdar courts and related survey records have remained unresolved for decades, leaving families without formal title deeds.
The agitation also focused on land acquisition in Pernem and Mopa.
Executive member Narayan Gawas and Coordinator Dipesh Naik said more than one crore square metres had been acquired over 25 years for projects including Mopa Airport, Aero City, hotels, gaming zones, roads and an Ayush Hospital. They claimed the acquired land is now commercially valued at around Rs 35,000 per square metre.
Protesters said displaced families had lost cashew and betel-nut plantations, while rehabilitation and employment opportunities remained inadequate. Farmers from Karapur also joined the protest.
In a public statement, the Samiti invoked Bhausaheb Bandodkar’s vision for the welfare of the poor and called for protection of Goa’s agricultural land, forests, plateaus and hills.
The Samiti announced an Awakening Yatra across North Goa from November 2 to 25, followed by South Goa from December 2 to 25, to educate tenants and document pending cases. Activists warned of statewide agitation if the cases remain unresolved and agricultural land diversion continues.
