Goa govt to pursue special status issue with Centre

Panaji, Jul 22: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday told the Legislative Assembly that an all party delegation will go to Delhi to follow up the demand of special status for the state.

Goa government had written a letter to the Centre in January this year seeking special status.

"When the Narendra Modi-led government came to power, I received a call from Union Home Ministry confirming that they have received the letter, and they asked me how to go ahead," Parrikar said during the Question Hour.

The state government will lead an all party delegation to Delhi with a detailed proposal over special status to Goa, either under article 371 of the Constitution or by creating a new law as per the Constitution for preserving limited resources of the state while keeping its identity intact, he said.

Parrikar clarified that Goa's demand for special status is much different from other states which are seeking financial packages. The Chief Minister was responding to a question tabled by Independent legislator Rohan Khaunte, who had sought to know the present status of special status for Goa.

Parrikar told the House that the matter is pending before the Central government. The state is making all efforts to pursue the matter, he said.

Khaunte, after tabling the question, demanded that the special status should be granted on priority as the residents were increasingly losing their land to non-Goans.

The Chief Minister alleged that in the past few local politicians had forged documents to sell lands to realty developers at throwaway prices.

PTI