Hope for Bardez Comunidades bldg is like its crumbling structure

BY AUGUSTO RODRIGUES

The building of Administracao das Comunidades de Bardez or the building that houses the office of the Administrator of Communidades of Bardez is in a dilapidated state. The hope of Ganvkars that the structure will get a new lease of life is as good as how the building looks from the outside.

Yet, the administrator Shivprasad Naik sounds optimistic. Sitting next to him is the Director of Government of Goa Printing Press who has stopped by in search of a Communidade plot.

Shivprasad asks the attorney of Anjuna Comunidade Seby D’Souza, who is sitting nearby, if there are any plots available. When answered in the negative, he assuages his counterpart that he is aware of plots available with the Thivim Comunidade.

“Illegal constructions are major problems faced by Comunidades. It is my duty to provide police protection, a magistrate and handle the Department of Electricity.

Comunidades need to get a bulldozer and manpower to carry out demolitions,” Shivprasad Naik told GT Daily as he went about running the affairs of his office.

“Communidades are fully empowered to carry on demolitions but they are not doing so,” he adds.

“I called for an informal meeting of all Comunidades under my jurisdiction just to make them aware of their responsibilities,” says Shivprasad as he claims that there are 75 active and 10 dormant Comunidades under the Administrator of North Goa.

Though there is a Supreme Court judgment that states that Comunidade land is inalienable, Shivprasad admits he is not aware of any such judgement but quotes Rule 10 of the Code of Comunidade wherein land allotted to one beneficiary can be transferred to another after ten years and on payment of a fee.

“The general body of Comunidade has sole authority over its land. Neither I nor anybody can decide or override the decisions of the general body,” admits Shivprasad.

“The Comunidade of Anjuna should have appealed against the order of the High Court,” says Shivprasad when asked how he changed the fees for the Sunburn Festival and the Enfiled Mania show passed through a resolution by the general body.

“I had to follow the government circular which clearly mentioned that the government was asked by the High Court to determine the rates. We did our job, it was up to the Anjuna Comunidade to appeal against the judgment if they felt it went against the Code of Comunidade,” observes Shivprasad.

As Shivprasad adjudicates complaints filed by various Ganvkars, the staff outside are accepting complaints or explaining formalities to aggrieved Ganvkars. “You file a written complaint against the president,” one staff member tells a Ganvkar from Moira. “I too have a similar complaint against the president,” interjects another from the same Comunidade.

“It is impossible to work in this office. I have asked the government for staff and for the moment I have just one employee. The rest of the staff here are paid their salary from the ‘derrama’ (contribution from Comunidades towards the maintenance of the apex body) paid by the Comunidades,” explains Shivprasad.

“I have just one government surveyor working with me. How am I expected to work with such facilities? Yet, I am doing my best. I try to do whatever best I can,” promises Shivaprasad.

“The building is in a bad condition and this was discussed during the meeting on Sunday. Comunidades seem to be aware of the condition and have offered to help financially. But first, I need to get permission from the government as this has been declared a heritage building,” confirms Shivaprasad.

“I have to first follow the guidelines of the government and then the Comunidade as I am a government employee,” states Shivaprasad when discussing the constitutional structure of the Comunidades.

Communidades is a societal system introduced thousands of years ago by the settlers of Goa and which was preserved through the Codigo de Comunidades by the Portuguese.