Vinod Bhatia first came to India in 1962 on a ship from Mozambique as a 19-year-old. His family was uprooted by the-then Portuguese rulers, as after the liberation of Goa in 1961, the Portuguese government had expelled Indian nationals from Mozambique, earlier a Portuguese territory.
Forty-seven years later, Bhatia is still nurturing a hope — one that he inherited from his late father — that the Indian government will compensate him for having to leave everything behind in Mozambique. Thanks to the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Bhatia, a Portuguese national, found out that the total claims of the 2,300 Mozambique repatriates as of 1979 were to the tune of Rs5.30 crore. Through two RTI applications made in May and November this year, Bhatia received replies from the Union ministry of home and external affairs and he was told that the decision of the government regarding the compensation is final.
“I was born in Mozambique and my father had a flourishing garments business there. We had a 10,000 sq ft property which included our shop and home,” Bhatia, now 65, said.
“My father made petitions to the government of India in 1963 and filed his claims with the Chief Settlement Commission. We had made claims worth Rs13 lakh then.” He had received Rs84,000 in 1982, in the form of ex-gratia. Bhatia says that an association was formed by the Mozambique repatriates, but with its members scattered across the country they did not persist with their claims.
In a treaty between India and Portugal in 1974, the countries had agreed to settle claims of repatriated citizens through bilateral negotiations. “My father kept pursuing the matter with the government until he died in 1973. We were given no medical, educational or travel benefits from the government. Having neglected us for 46 years, the government must now pay 100 per cent penalty on the claimed amount with interest.” The outstanding amount of Bhatia’s claims, at that rate, would now be Rs100 crore, he says.
“While there were rehabilitation schemes for those who came from Pakistan at the time of Partition, there should have been similar schemes for Mozambique repatriates as well,” said Bhatia’s advocate Pradeep Havnur. He added that they are awaiting the Centre’s reply but if they continue to be dissatisfied, they will consider moving court.
In 1961, when Goa, Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli were liberated and the Portuguese Army was airlifted from Goa, the Portuguese government had asked Indian nationals from Mozambique to leave the country. “I still remember that some Portuguese officials came to my father’s shop to serve evacuation notices. We were told that if we did not leave, we would be detained in dark quarters,” Bhatia said What followed was the
repatriation of 600 Indian families.
Bhatia said, “I came on a vessel that left from Mozambique and landed in Mumbai (then Bombay) on March 12, 1963.” With no accommodation provided by the government, Bhatia spent the first few weeks in Mumbai at a dharamshala near the GPO. After living with a relative for six months near Girgaum Chowpatty, Bhatia moved to Vile Parle and now lives in Andheri (W).
