Goa’s relation with Pakistan is not new as there are several hundreds of properties that belong to Goan Pakistani citizens who had migrated to Pakistan from Goa. More than 30 thousand Goans had migrated to Pakistan in 1964 and settled down in Karachi leaving their hundreds of crores worth of property behind in Goa.
According to Times of India, the Portuguese-era government had granted the title of concession (TC) no 14/52 at Colomba, Sanguem, in an area of 100 hectares to Badrudin Bhavani of Margao on February 22, 1952, for mining iron ore. Then mines minister Digambar Kamat in August 2006 renewed the mining lease which was executed through a power of attorney in Karachi.
The state Government is yet to take a decision on properties owned by Pakistani citizens of Goan origins. Stating this as the ‘enemy properties’; this issuing has been going on for decades. Speaking on the same, the North Goa Collector says that there is no sort of progress on this issue. Apparently, there has been a law in the Parliament stating to take over such ‘enemy properties’.
There are 263 enemy properties worth over Rs 100 crore in Goa belonging to Pakistani nationals of Goan origin. The coastal state comes fourth in the list of states where Pakistani nationals own land in the country.
According to Incredible Goa, around 30,000 Goan Catholics were migrated to Pakistan in the year 1954 out of which 10,000 Goans had settled down in Karachi. When the incident of migration took place, at that time, Pakistan was not an enemy of India but it was around in 1965 that India declared the Pakistan as an enemy state and subsequently the properties belonging to the Pakistani Goans had also become the Enemy Property, said the sources.
Most such properties are located in the talukas of Bardez and Salcete, while a few lie in Tiswadi, Bicholim and other parts of the state.
The sources have said that the home ministry has forwarded a list of enemy properties to both district collectors and has directed them to collect the lease rent from their occupants. Meanwhile, several hundreds of people have already approached courts, staking claim to these properties.
Confusion still exists as to what should be done with these properties since t is also difficult to get such property back. With conditions worsening at the border, this issue is still yet to resolve. The matters related to enemy properties are being dealt with in terms of the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance promulgated by the President on January 7, 2016.
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