Just like so many sites in Goa protests have hit Siridao village on the banks of Zuari river. Principal target of protests section 39-A of TCP Act used for conversion of Private Forest land, natural slopes into settlement Zone.
After protests in the village on 19th February 2026 dissent got escalated with protests a TCP office at Panjim on 21st February 2026. Protesters were lifted up violently after people remained squating at night outside the doors of TCP office at Dempo towers. This time amongst those who were violently lifted out with police force includes St. Andre MLA Viresh Borkar.
Arch.Tahir Noronha has provided factual status about this land matter in his online video posted on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVDUB9dj5dL/?igsh=MTB0eTBqaDlxYmJxMg==
Do or die call is given against section 39-A and mass protests are ongoing today 23 February 2026 at Azad Maidan.
It's Dempos who has effected change of zoning of nearly 76,000 square meters of hilly forest land of Siridao village under tribal people cultivation of vegetables for several generations even before 1968 Land Revenue Code made Goa's land sale-able. This is the law that introduced notorious Form I &XIV which imposed regime of private property decisively on Goa nearly kicking out communal land ownership laws of 1961 without formal repeal.
Land protests in Goa have barely understood this and instead of targeting Goa Land Revenue Code 1968 - that gave "occupants " status of ownership to enter into negotiations under Transfer of Properties Act - have launched war on section 39-A of TCP Act. Something drastically wrong in land legal governance regime in Goa. This wrong is what actually facilitated land control to eco-criminals like Dempos who massacred Goa's forests through mining for half a century.
While it is important to demonize section 39-A and get it knocked off along with all the Zone changes effected under the same provision, it is of pivotal importance to get up for long drawn struggle to repeal Land Revenue Code itself, revoke land titles granted under the same and restore communal ownership of land as per 1961 law that debars sale of land. Land, water, air, ocean, rivers, seas are essence of nature where humans should not interfere to buy and sell and should be kept out of cspitalist economy logic and must be retained as natural economy components. Anything less than this is surely, though gradually destined to take Goa to ruins and its people into slavery.
The war needs to be intelligently waged and battles shrewdly fought. This needs some hard decisions, some out-of-box thinking and grace of God too.
Siridao has been consistently in forefront land defence protests over past few decades. Siridao also fought in defence of its beach being declared as Blue Flag designation with exclusive use rights to tourists. Village has several well known predators with Dempos being one of the cleverest one who subdued the villages through free distribution of canji (pez) on village feast Sunday after Easter. Village also has new entrant predators such as one of the siblings of Goa Tourism Minister putting up construction next to beach and repeated efforts at blocking traditional beach access that villagers had to fight against. Siridao has beautiful beach as well as river and the large land is within ambit of CRZ regime. Palem portion of the village is predomintantly inhabitants by tribal people - Gawdas who are classified as Scheduled Tribes engaged in active cultivation of hillside that was captured by Dempos allegedly through various illicit means, not surprising considering its their common practice of aquiring land of Goa.
Siridao also have large portion of its population working in various European countries. Village is famous for its fishing, toddy taping, hillside cultivation, its articulate citizen Simon Afonso and well known artist Loretti Pinto whose art "Prayers of the faithful (2024)" depicting section 39-A in Goa's topography goes along with this blog post.
We join people of Siridao in Solidarity!
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