Margao: Close on the heels of the Margao municipal garden development row, a fresh controversy has erupted in the commercial capital over the ownership of land occupied by the BPS Club.Shadow council for Margao convener Savio Coutinho, addressing reporters, revealed that BPS Club president Yogiraj Kamat — son of Margao MLA and PWD minister Digambar Kamat — has filed an application before the Inspector of Survey and Land Records (ISLR) seeking confirmation of records for the prime plot in the city in the club’s name.Coutinho flagged a conflict of interest, noting that both the BPS Club and the MMC fall within the political sphere of the Margao MLA. He added that the club runs commercial operationsincluding a restaurant, bar and hall rentals, without paying any rent or lease premium to the council.Coutinho argued that a 1952 gazette notification cited by the applicant as basis of ownership cannot, in law, transfer title of immovable property. Under Article 299 of the Constitution and Section 80 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968, any transfer of municipal land requires a council resolution, state govt sanction, a registered deed and payment of market premium — none of which was produced, he said.
