MAPUSA
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday assured the Goa Legislative Assembly that the State government has set a December 19 target to issue the maximum number of sanads under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), with all remaining claims to be cleared by March 31, 2026.
Of the over 10,000 claims received under the FRA, only 2,398 have been approved so far, while 6,906 remain pending and 1,039 have been rejected. Sawant said nearly 3,000 tribal applicants have already been granted sanads, and authorities have been instructed to process all pending claims in a time-bound manner. “Our aim is to ensure justice for all eligible tribal communities. The process has been streamlined, and clear deadlines have been set,” the Chief Minister said.
However, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao criticised the slow pace of implementation, calling the delay “an injustice to the tribal community.”
He dismissed the reasons given for the delay – such as monsoons, wild bushes, and leeches – as “a bureaucratic farce,” and demanded a complete overhaul of the process to ensure swift and fair resolution of all pending claims.
