Kamat draws flak for rehab request

Govind.Maad
Margao: Margao MLA Digambar Kamat courted controversy following a statement he made earlier this month when he called upon Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu to work out a slum development scheme for people who had been displaced by Konkan Railway’s (KRCL) land acquisition for the Margao railway station.
This has brought Kamat in the line of fire of his political rivals as well as members of civil society who have questioned his propriety of making the demand for rehabilitation, coming as it does 25 years after the land was acquired.
Around 150 hutments had to be cleared by the Konkan Railway to make way for the construction of the Margao railway station. The displaced people were give alternative land “temporarily”, opposite the railway station, which has now developed into a sprawling slum known as ‘Azad Nagar’ and serves as a vote-bank for politicians.
Member of Goa state consumer disputes redressal commission, Jagdish Prabhudessai, who had spearheaded an agitation in 1990 over the issue of rehabilitation of the people affected by KRCL’s land acquisition at Margao, flayed Kamat for the “uncalled for” demand.
“It’s obviously a politically motivated statement. When Kamat himself was the chief minister, what prevented him from formulating a legislative policy for rehabilitation of people affected by land acquisition?” Prabhudessai questioned.
Kamat’s bete noire and former chairperson of Margao municipal council (MMC), Savio Coutinho, who during his tenure in the civic body had represented the ward in which Azad Nagar is located, expressed his indignation over the rehabilitation demand.
“It is disgusting to note that the Margao MLA has woken up so late to think of their rehabilitation. In fact, the hutments are as old as his tenure as an elected representative,” Coutinho, who had contested against Kamat in the last assembly elections, said, further pointing out to large scale encroachment on KRCL property by the slum dwellers.
A visit to Azad Nagar reveals that the slum is also home to a thriving business centre, with most of the residential spaces facing the road doubling up as shops and kiosks selling all types of goods. “While there are nearly 900 people enrolled as voters form this slum, the number of people actually residing here are half the number. The rest come from their native places in Karnataka during the election days, and go back after staying in the city for a couple of days,” Coutinho said.
As a solution to the vexed issue of dealing with illegal encroachments by slum dwellers, Prabhudessai made a strong pitch for setting up an inquiry to establish the veracity of the occupants of the land. “The illegal hutments pose a threat to peace and social security. KRCL should conduct an inquiry to establish the credentials of the slum dwellers and prepare a preliminary report be submitted to the government. The government should, in turn, make the report public and invite suggestions for proper rehabilitation of genuine dwellers of the slum,” Prabhudessai said.
A senior official of the KR, speaking to TOI on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that the number of illegal occupants on KRCL land in Margao has grown exponentially over the years. “We did try to evict some illegal occupants once, and we succeeded to some extent,” he said. What he, however, refrained from saying was that it was the politicians who came in support of the illegal encroachers, compelling KRCL to retreat.