MARGAO
Litigants appearing before the revenue courts, beware! With elections round the corner, brace up for frequent adjournment of hearings before the deputy collectors and mamlatdars in respect of cases relating to mundcarial and tenancy matters, partitions and appeals.
Reason: With the election office drawing up an elaborate training schedule for officials ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, including deputy collectors, mamlatdars and joint mamlatdars, mass adjournment of hearing on revenue matters during the training period is set to become a reality.
In fact, revenue cases before the deputy collectors, Margao, were all adjourned after the presiding officers proceeded for a day-long election training programme at Ela, Old Goa. And, if the deputy collectors and mamlatdars are to be believed, the election authorities have scheduled training programmes for these two classes of officials, who form part of the core election team, on three different days in the month of January. “We are helpless. There’s no other option but to adjourn the revenue matters before us. And, this is not restricted just to Salcete, but all talukas since the election training programme is intended for all deputy collectors, mamlatdars and joint mamlatdars,” remarked an official.
The official informed that dates for the hearings of cases were fixed long ago before the election officials had fixed the training programmes, adding that they have no other option than to adjourn the matters.
A litigant, who had to return home disappointed after the Margao deputy collector’s office adjourned criminal matters on Monday to attend the training programme, sought to know whether the deputy collectors and mamlatdars would intimate the litigants in advance on their non-availability which would save their time and money in travelling to the District Collectorate. “Since the deputy collectors and mamlatdars have been given a schedule of their training programmes by the election authorities, intimating the litigants and their lawyers in advance about the adjournment would go a long way in mitigating the hardships faced by the litigants and lawyers,” he added.
