Goa government sets up legal panel to draft special status proposal

PANAJI: Goa Government today announced setting up of a legal committee to draft a proposal to pursue its long pending demand for a special status.

"Special status is not an issue that can be decided with one sitting. Today, we are formulating a committee to discuss the legal basis for our demand," state Environment Minister Alina Saldanha told reporters after attending a high-level meeting under chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

The meeting, also attended by various activists from NGO Goa's Movement for Special Status (GMSS) discussed the strategy for the visit of a delegation, to be led by the chief minister, to New Delhi in first week of November.

The delegation will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the demand for special status.

"The committee will examine each and every detail of the demand and will recommend how to go ahead with it," Saldanha said, adding that the panel will come up with the proposal within a month.

GMSS chief Prajal Sakhardande told reporters that a 22 point agenda on the need for special status under article 371 of Constitution has been submitted to the chief minister.

Goa Legislative Assembly had last year unanimously passed a resolution demanding special status to the state, considering the shrinking land resources.