A day long Communidade Convention a Meeting Under Act. 652 of Code of  Communidades was  organized at NIO,  Donapuala

Minister for Revenue, Shri. Atanasio Monserrate  inaugurated the communidade conventionFurthermore, the convention adopted a resolution which called for deliberations and recommendations to address illegal constructions and encroachments in comunidade lands and to prevent such illegalities in future.

In another significant resolution, the convention called for pre-legislative consultation before any amendments are made by the government to the Code of Comunidades in the Goa legislative assembly.

Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate who attended only the inaugural and then left said, the administrators of comunidades have powers to resolve and dispose complaints of encroachments in comunidades within a year.

“Administrators have the authority to do this,” Monserrate said, adding that the comunidade institutions and the Code of Comunidades need to be reformed so as to benefit the community.

The convention in its deliberations later adopted another resolution which resolved to digitise all comunidade records and the government was urged to appoint “full time” administrators for all the zones.

Administrators of comunidades are civil servants appointed by the State government but function independently.  the attendes pointed out that the  entire administration, including the salaries of staff and the administrator are borne by the comunidades from that specific zone through annual ‘deramas’ paid by these age old village community bodies.

It also called for holding such conventions to be held once every three years, instead of five.