PANAJI
Amid an extended investigation into 110 cases of land grab, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that the government will introduce a No Man’s Land Act to take possession of unclaimed properties.
Addressing the media after a cabinet meeting at the Secretariat, Sawant stated that some amendments will be made in the upcoming assembly session based on suggestions from the One Man’s Commission on Land Grab.
“The One Man Commission made several suggestions. We will implement some amendments in the assembly… the cases will be charge-sheeted. We will introduce the No Man’s Land Act to transfer unclaimed land to the government. Those who have applied to claim ownership will have their cases tried in a single court. These cases are under scrutiny,” he said.
In January, the cabinet accepted the inquiry report on the multi-crore land grab cases led by Justice VK Jadhav (retd). At that time, the CM stated that the implementation would take place in phases and the government initiated a process to reclaim “no man’s land” and “government lands” that had been fraudulently sold.
The one-man panel was established on August 30, 2022, under the Commission of Inquiries Act, 1952, and submitted its report with recommendations to the government on November 1, 2023. The Commission dealt with 44 FIRs registered by the Special Investigating Team (SIT), involving 93 land parcels and properties measuring 1.5 lakh square metres.
Meanwhile, the cabinet has also approved an increase in the stipend for MBBS students from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 and the filling of vacant posts.
