MARGAO
Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte on Monday point blank told the South Goa Advocates Association to either prove charges of corruption against revenue officials or withdraw the statement, even as he disclosed plans to bring reforms, including court monitoring system to track the cases in the revenue courts, including tenancy, mundcarial, mutation and partition.
The Revenue Minister further said that required manpower will be recruited by the revenue department before implementing the Time-bound Delivery of Services Act, including disposal of mutation cases within 90 days. He also reiterated his resolve to set up the Citizens Service Centres at all the taluka headquarters by this year-end.
Members of the advocates panel replied back to the Minister saying they will provide him with documents reiterating their charges.
When the media pointed out to the minister that people would term it a big joke if he insists there’s no corruption in the revenue offices in South Goa district, Rohan said there may be instances, but he expects a responsible body such as the advocates association to substantiate the charges with documentary proof.
While the lawyers assured to give a detailed memorandum citing various instances of delays with ulterior motives, they also drew attention of the minister to the fact that lower rung revenue officials should be made to display their ID cards while on duty.
The lawyers also drew attention of the Revenue Minister that Deputy Collectors at Quepem and Dharbandora are not available during night time when they want to move applications for release of persons arrested for
breach of peace, wondering whether these officers are acting upon pressure from vested interests.
They further claimed that the deputy collectors do not lift their phones during night time, while demanding that these responsible officers should be made to stay in their revenue
jurisdiction.
The Revenue Minister was interacting with the delegation of the South Goa Advocates Association on Monday in the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative complex on Monday as part of an exercise to obtain their inputs on administrative reforms so that the suggestions can be deliberated upon before it becomes a law.
Delay in mutations and partitions, besides conversions and absence of any file tracking system at the various Mamlatdar offices was the centre of discussions between the lawyers and the Revenue Minister, who was assisted by South Goa District Collector Dr Tariq Thomas, Additional Collectors Surendra Naik and Johnson Fernandes and Deputy Collector Revenue Paresh Faldesai.
Issues of mutation and other revenue matters pertaining to the Canacona mamlatdar office also figured prominently during the interaction, with the Revenue Minister promising to act on the complaints.
Lawyers impressed upon the minister to install file tracking system, saying that files do not move from one section to another in the same mamlatdar office for want of accountability.
