MAPUSA
Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate on Tuesday told the Goa Legislative Assembly that the government was planning to amend the Goa Daman and Diu Agriculture Tenancy Rules 1975 to give more teeth to the Mamlatdars to act on complaints of negligence against tenant associations.
Monserrate said presently, the role of the Mamlatdars was supervisory in nature where he monitors the functioning of the managing committee of tenant associations.
“The Mamlatdars have limited power to act against complaints. We are trying to amend the Goa Daman and Diu Agriculture Tenancy Rules 1975 before the next assembly session where Mamlatdars will be given more teeth to take action,” Monserrate said.
The Revenue Minister was responding on the issue of constant breaching of bundhs leading to flooding of fields and inconveniencing the farmers raised by Cumbarjua MLA Rajesh Faldessai during the Question Hour.
Faldessai informed the House that there were around 30 bundhs in his constituency and over 300 fields which were cultivated by the farmers but the constant breaching of bundhs at the hands of a few irresponsible tenants association members put the poor farmers in great hardship.
“I want action to be taken against the irresponsible tenant association member who has been causing much consternation to the farmers by releasing the water and flooding the fields. The poor people should not be harassed and the farmers should get easy access to plough their fields peacefully,” he said.
Monserrate acknowledged receiving a complaint from the areas in 2020 and that the mamlatdar concerned had inspected the area and fixed a hearing in February.
“I assure the MLA that action will be taken as per the law,” he said.
Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco informed that coming up with constructions near the bundhs is a common problem in many parts of the State where such bundhs exist. He demanded strict action against such activities.
“The government has to spell out clear directions for who can construct and who cannot when it is going to amend the tenancy rules. The mamlatdar should also be given powers to demolish illegal constructions,” Lourenco said.
St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar also urged the government to give specific powers to mamlatdar to take strict action.
“At the moment, the chairman and the committee members of tenant associations take decisions at a variance and the fields get flooded. It appears the powers are with the associations than the revenue department,” Borkar said.
