PANAJI
In a welcome decision for those seeking to cultivate on forest land, 504 settlers will get sanads soon.
On Friday, the Department of Revenue and The Department of Tribal Welfare held a joint meeting in a bid to expedite the whole process of forest rights settlement claims.
Also present during the meeting were ex-Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane and collectors of both, North and South Goa.
Speaking to media persons at a press conference, Minister For Tribal Welfare, Govind Gaude, said, “The forest department has done spot verification for 2,782 claims of the total 9,758 claims, which were received from people seeking rights to cultivate on forest land. Of 2,782 claims, 1,034 claims were presented before gram sabhas for approval.”
“675 claims have got approvals from the gram sabhas. However, 50 claims were rejected. Overall, 610 claims were sent to a sub-division level committee. In 504 cases there are no disputes and these are all-clear for giving sanads soon,” Gaude continued.
Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte explained how the state government has streamlined the process for issuing sanads for forest right settlement claims.
Khaunte said, “We will clear this issue, which has not been resolved for many years. We have a forest rights committee, which also has village representatives. They submit a report before gram sabhas. This report has the objections of the forest department. The gram sabha decides on the objections with 50% quorum. Should the gram sabha overrule the objections, the claims move to the sub-divisional steering committee.”
Khaunte continued, “If there are objections, this committee deliberates. Meanwhile, the forest department can raise objections at this level. If it clears the file at this level, it goes to the the district level committee, which is headed by the collector. The collector clears these cases. After that, the person concerned gets a sanad.”
Gaude further clarified that the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act is not just for the tribals, but it is also for those other dwellers, who have been cultivating on forest land for several years.
