AAP objects to heritage adoption scheme in Goa
Panaji, May 1: The AAP in Goa on Tuesday objected to the Central government's decision to allot six heritage sites in the coastal state along with several others throughout the country for adoption by private companies.
"Now they admit that they cannot protect our monuments and want to sell them to outsiders in the name of adoption. They cannot protect our land, our rivers and our rights," Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state General Secretary Pradeep Padgaonkar told reporters here.
The statement comes a few days after the Central government's decision to privatise heritage conservation, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government in the state has come under fire for promoting hasty conversion of land in natural heritage zones for commercial exploitation.
"Efforts by these vested interests, especially regional ruling alliance partner Goa Forward, to allow adoption of monuments by private companies, in Goa's case by a private lifeguarding company should be stopped," Padgaonkar said.
In Goa, Drishti Marine and V-Resorts have been shortlisted for participation in the 'Monument Mitra' scheme, aimed at developing monuments and heritage sites with the help of private participation for five years.
Drishti Marine is set to adopt key heritage areas like the Old Goa Church complex, Aguada, Cabo de Rama and Chapora fort, a lighthouse and Morjim beach, famous for Olive Ridley turtle nesting sites.
V-Resorts will be adopting the Basilica of Bom Jesus church, which is several centuries old.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
