Govt sets Dec 19 deadline to clear forest rights claims

PANAJI 
With over 9,600 claims for land ownership under the Forest Rights Act 2006 pending, the Goa government has set December 19, 2025 as a deadline to clear off all these claims. While special camps are planned across tribal talukas on June 14 to fast-track the disposal of claims, panchayats are asked to hold special gram sabhas on June 21 to deal with sanads.

The State government had previously set March 31, 2024 as the deadline, following the directions from the Supreme Court, who is monitoring the FRA nationwide.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday chaired a crucial meeting to review the progress of claims under FRA. As per the record, in April, the government has issued sanads to 870 claimants; it is in process of issuing land titles to another 150 claimants with land demarcation in the final stage.

“By December 19, 2025, I am confident that 100 per cent of forest rights claims will be settled,” Sawant said, highlighting that from 2006, since FRA came into force till 2019, not a single land title was issued under the Act.

Over 10,500 claims have been filed under the FRA in Goa, of which 870 have been approved and 949 rejected so far, Sawant informed.

The Chief Minister outlined the State government’s plan to expedite the process, including a special drive with dedicated camps and meetings to fast-track long-pending applications.

Sawant informed that the government has scheduled special camps across six talukas – Canacona, Quepem, Sanguem, Ponda, Dharbandora, and Sattari – on June 14. These will assist applicants from 10 am to 1 pm at designated government offices. A special gram sabha is planned for June 21 to deal with sanad-related cases and pending claims, while Deputy Collectors will hold meetings on June 18 to address hundreds of cases awaiting clearance.

Sawant said 150 sanads are already prepared for distribution and stressed that attendance at these camps is crucial. “Failing to bring documents on the assigned day could delay cases by another three months,” he warned.

The Chief Minister explained that the multi-stage verification and approval process, from the gram sabha to the Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC) and the Collector, has been ongoing for the past six years.

“The land, especially meant for the Scheduled Tribe community, is now being demarcated and converted from forest land to revenue land,” Sawant said, adding that the entire government machinery, from the Collector to the Panchayat level, is working with the Tribal Department to ensure rightful land ownership is granted to tribal communities.

Forest Rights claimants are given sanads of their land through a three-tiered process comprising of Spot verification by the officials in the presence of the claimant, discussion on the claim in the gram sabha and completion of related process by the Deputy Collectors office and issuing of sanads by the Collector office.