PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the Assembly on Tuesday that The Goa (Tenant and Guest Registration and Verification) Bill, 2021, which had been referred to the Select Committee following demands from Opposition members, will be reintroduced in the next session.
His assurance comes following concerns raised by the MLAs on rising crimes involving non-Goans including the recent murder of OCI citizen Arnold Soares at his ancestral home in Candolim on Sunday.
Once passed, the law will ensure landlords submit tenant details to the police, failing which he/she will face imprisonment for at least one year.
“I won’t specify the States but ‘outsiders’ come and reside in Goa. We introduced the Tenant Verification Bill in 2021 but the Opposition demanded it be sent to the Select Committee. It hasn’t come back to us and hence, we will reintroduce it in the next Assembly session,” Sawant, also the Home Minister, said while replying to a Calling Attention by MLA Michael Lobo.
The Calangute legislator, on behalf of the community, raised apprehensions on the spike in late-night murders, citing Soares’ brutal cold-blooded murder.
Sawant informed the House that the police arrested one of the accused from Karnataka and the motive is being ascertained.
Supporting the motion by Lobo, BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral spoke about an increase in offenses in the tourism belt, possibly due to an influx of outsiders.
“Soares returned from Canada to protect his ancestral house,” he said suggesting that CCTV camera feeds including the private ones should be linked to police stations. “Tenant verification must be taken seriously,” Cabral urged.
MLA Chandrakant Shetye suggested strengthening police patrolling and regular checks on senior citizens. “Police must conduct patrolling and maintain a diary. They should meet senior citizens and address their grievances, but nothing is happening. Police higher-ups should ensure compliance during field visits,” he demanded.
AAP MLA Venzy Veigas also supported the fitment of CCTV cameras and pointed out non-functional cameras in Benaulim. “If there had been CCTV in Candolim, the accused might not have dared to commit the crime,” he said, referring to Soares’ murder. GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai called for mandatory CCTV installations in new building projects to enhance security.
Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, also supporting the motion, accused the government of a failed law and order. “Pull up your socks and give clear directions to the police. The statistics on detection are dropping to the worst,” he admonished.
CM Sawant, replying to these concerns, reiterated that landlords should rent out premises only after obtaining a police verification report. He added that from 2019 to 2024, the detection rate of crimes stood at 87 percent with a slight decline in crime rates and an increase in conviction rates.
