PANAJI
In a bid to do away with decades of bureaucratic red-tape which impeded speedy disposal of mundkarial and agriculture tenancy cases, the State government on Friday issued an order articulating measures to speed up quasi-judicial proceedings.
The order asks quasi-judicial officers -- mamlatdars and joint-mamlatdars -- to expedite the proceedings so as to dispose off matters within a year.
“Every effort shall be made to dispose of the pending mundakar and tenancy cases within a period of one year,” states the order which also lists down many guidelines, the most salient of which restricts adjournments to a maximum of three in each case.
Another guideline listed in the order mandates the quasi-judicial officers restrict themselves to fixing next hearings to short dates -- not more than 10 days later.
"The next date of hearing fixed should not ordinarily be exceeding 10 days,” the guideline states.
Several other measures included in the order include an instruction to the Collectors (District Magistrates) to designate mamlatdars under their charge exclusively to discharge quasi-judicial functions related to the Mundkar and Agriculture Tenancy laws.
These mamlatdars designated exclusively to adjudicate mundkarial and tenancy cases will also be liable to hold revenue court hearings on Saturdays and cases with more than three-year pendency will have to be heard on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate said there is a shortage of mamlatdars and the possibility of granting adhoc promotions will be explored.
"I will ask the Chief Minister to permit adhoc promotions so that they can be entrusted with the work," Monserrate said.
Nearly 5,000 cases filed under the Goa, Daman and Diu Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1964 and the Goa, Daman and Diu Mundkars (protection from eviction) Act, 1975 are pending for 15 years, official records submitted by the government in the Goa legislative assembly in July, reveal.
In North Goa, 1,270 cases of agricultural tenancy and have a more than 5-year pendency tenure. In South Goa the number is much lower at 374.
