‘My Dad is Treated Callously by Tahsildar regarding RTC Property Documents’- Nishel Cutinha

‘My Dad ( Victor John Cutinha, aged 75) is Treated Callously by the Tahsildar, at his office in Mini Vidhana Soudha, Mangaluru regarding RTC (Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops) Property Documents since 2 Years’- Nishel Jeneview Cutinha D’Souza

Mangaluru: In her email to Team Mangalorean Mrs Nishel Jeneview Cutinha D’Souza, residing in Kuwait, has expressed her anger on how her father is being treated by the local Tahsildar office for the last two years, in order to get his RTC property documents, pertaining to his 2 acres 75 cents land, an ancestral property inherited from his mother. Nishel in her email states, “Absolute apathy of our entire public service system is evident if you have something important to accomplish at your local government office and they just let you run from pillar to post. My father, Victor John Cutinha, a retired police officer, served in the force for 38 years in Mangaluru City. He never backed away from calling a spade and never bowed down to political pressure. We were relieved that after retirement he would be stress-free and spend the rest of his life peacefully tending to his ancestral property and plant a few saplings and contribute his share towards the environment”.

Victor John Cutinha all set for his protest on 17 August

.”His dreams are shattered since the local Tahsildar hasn’t been able to remove the names of the deceased family members from the property documents since 2 years. Daddy until now has peacefully tried to appeal to the Tahsildar/Taluk office numerous times. Now at 75 years of age, my dad seems to have lost all hope. A general consensus is that if a senior citizen and a public servant can be treated callously, what can be the plight of underprivileged and poor farmers? So, friends and family, my dad will be sitting outside the Taluk Office on 17 August, protesting against this injustice wherein a senior citizen is made to run from pillar to post just to correct a few government documents. I request you all to kindly tag any politicians, political parties who can help us reach the right platform. And remember, we are not against any political party, politician and have our utmost respect towards the Indian government” adds Mrs Nishel.

Victor John Cutinha with his wife, Jane

Following up on the email from Nishel, Team Mangalorean met Victor John Cutinha, at his apartment in Shivbagh, Mangaluru, also joined by his wife, Mrs Jane Cutinha, aged 70, a home-maker. Narrating all the troubles and hardships that he has been facing for a couple of years in order to get the RTC property documents, Victor said, “In the year 1974, regarding the property dispute of the nearly 5 acres land in Kompapadavu in Neerude Village, between my mother Mrs Apoline Pinto Cutinha and her brother, had to be settled in the Court. In 2018, the local Court in its ruling divided the entire property exactly into two- where I got 2 acres 70 cents, while my mother’s brother got 2 acres 70 cents. I have two daughters and one son, who are employed in Kuwait”.

“The Court decision was agreed by both the parties, and we had no hostility in the family, after that. Even though when the Court passed the ruling, all the family names on my side were removed, but surprisingly, later when I went to the Tahsildar office to get the required RTC property documents, I found out that the Tahsildar office had added the names, but I was able to get the RTC through great efforts. But since the local Tahsildar office had added my deceased mother’s name, they are playing games with me, by making me run from pillar to post for the last so many months. Every time I meet the Tahsildar, he keeps promising me that he will take care of it within a few days, but they were all fake assurances. Since January 2020, I have visited the Tahsildar’s office nearly 40 times, and all my efforts are in vain,” added Victor.

He further said, “Imagine making a senior citizen like me waiting for long hours in the queue, with no provision to sit, and at the end return with fake promises from the Tahsildar. I want to ask them what was the need to add my mother’s name when she is deceased. It seems like they are playing tricks, but I will fight for my property rights, no matter what the consequences are. I have been a tough man during my Police Sub Inspector post, and I will remain tough until justice is served. I have literally begged with the local authorities to remove my mother’s name, and issue me the RTC, so I can carry on with agricultural work in my property. Having fed up with all the callousness and hardship faced at this Tahsildar office, I have decided to stage a protest in front of their office on 17 August, and I request the media to highlight this issue so that justice could be served to me, and to many others who are also facing such harassment at the hands of such officials”.

In the meantime, Victor’s son Neethan Cutinha, also residing in Kuwait in his email to Team Mangalorean has stated, “I feel like I am living in the 19th Century looking at how most of our Government offices function, in India. There are a lot of irregularities involved, and files piling up. People are made to run from pillar to post for their files to move to the right hands. Some of these bureaucrats have forgotten that they are getting their salary to serve the people, but instead, they work as if they are doing the public at large a favour. It is being rumoured that they spend most of the time in chai breaks and gossip. It is High time that our Government treats all the public sectors like a private entity by putting rules and KPI’s for all Government offices and promotion should be purely based on merit instead of reservations and nepotism”.

“Customer feedback should be taken from the people on the service level of these offices, and strict punishment should be enforced towards any bureaucrats found guilty irrespective of the ranking. Also, there should be a number for each district to lodge grievances against Government officers. On this our country’s 73rd Independence Day, we hope that there is some action taken and that the elected representatives escalate this matter and prioritize it by taking immediate action against the officer/officers; which will discipline all other bureaucrats to handle the emotions of people in a fragile and humane manner. Jai Hind!!” adds Neethan.

Team Mangalorean visiting the Tahsildar/Taluk offices in the Mini Vidhana Soudha, Mangaluru was surprised to see many seniors facing hard times, and don’t get the respect they deserve in their ripe golden age. We hope that Victor John Cutinha’s fight in getting justice through his solo protest might bring a change among the bureaucrats and government officials, to treat the seniors with respect and help them with their problems at the earliest, rather than make them run behind the officials to get their work done. It’s a common courtesy to treat seniors with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, most of the time, they aren’t getting the respect they deserve due to people being busy or just being simply dismissed. We forget the contributions they had to our community and family- and that’s exactly what we are seeing at the government office.

Ageism is the inclination to think of older people as debilitated and unworthy of attention. It can make people uncomfortable to be confronted with the trials and tribulations of ageing.This attitude towards seniors is growing, but we must remember that they have the wisdom to contribute to society. They have gained knowledge through their life experiences, and it’s about taking the time to listen to their stories. And here we have our Young 75-year-old senior citizen, Victor John Cutinha, as a perfect example, who is ready for the fight to get justice. Long Live the Senior Citizens!