Hutment dwellers raise concerns over eviction at Goa’s People's Parliament

At a novel People’s Parliament convened in the city on Monday by the Goa State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), representatives of the Baina Hutments Dwellers Association (BHDA) from the port town of Vasco condemned the "inhuman approach” of the Goa government in demolishing hutments on Baina beach in Vasco-da-Gama in south Goa.

BHDA demanded that the government first put in place rehabilitation schemes before evicting the hutment residents. The issue has been simmering for some time now with the government expediting the process of eviction of over 200 families, mostly migrants from Karnataka and other States.

CITU and others backing the evictees have also accused the State government of failing to provide alternate rehabilitation ahead of eviction. Murari Bandekar, representing these families, alleged that demolitions are being systematically undertaken to make way for real estate projects in the name of Baina Beach Beautification Projects.

He said that young children and students are unable to concentrate on their studies in the constant fear of their hutments being demolished.

"The BJP government in Goa is targeting hutment dwellers who are mostly dalits working in the City Sanitation Services, by insinuating that they are illegal migrants from Karnataka(“Ghanttis”)," he said.

Nazima Khan also of the BHDA described the fear under which women hutment residents live fearing displacement. Unless rehabilitation is done first, they will not move even if the State machinery resorts to use of force and violence.

Among other issues raised at the “People’s Parliament” were workers’ woes due to closure of factories and mining activity’; destruction of orchards and paddy fields due to mining; u-turns of the BJP government on the issue of casinos; the regional land use plan of the State and inaction over rampant drug problem in coastal tourist belt.