MAPUSA
Asserting that he was one of the biggest votaries of the special investigation team (SIT), Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Friday said the SIT should now act “swiftly” and ensure Goans get their land back.
Khaunte also suspected the hand of government officers and political patronage in the fraudulent transfer of land deals.
"The biggest challenge in Goa today is to retain the lands which are fraudulently being transferred. Fraudulent sale deeds have become the call of the day. Whether it is Assagao, Calangute, Anjuna or Porvorim…We have enough people whose documents have been forged and sale deeds have been done,” Khaunte said.
“The SIT needs to be swift. They need to work on a war footing and ensure that the land which has been fraudulently usurped is handed back to the Goans,” he added.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the formation of the SIT to investigate all cases of illegal transfer of land ownership.
The SIT has been constituted to inquire into the multiple complaints and FIRs that have been registered relating to the illegal transfer of land using forged documents.
Taking credit for the formation of the SIT, Khaunte said he has been raising the issue of illegal land-grab happening in the State when in the opposition and even now as part of the government.
He disclosed that he had moved a note to the Chief Minister to establish the SIT soon after the new government took charge.
“I had formally moved a note to the Chief Minister to establish an SIT in April soon after the government took charge. I am happy with the way the Chief Minister has acted on it. This issue was important for the State, and the Chief Minister has understood the gravity of the situation and formed the SIT,” he said.
A minimum of 100 odd cases of fraudulent deals have been registered in the State. Mapusa Police alone has registered more than 50 FIRs while more than 25 cases have been registered in South Goa.
The Tourism Minister informed that the fraud involving sale deeds and transfer of land cannot happen without the involvement of government officers.
“In every government office, your papers have been changed. This is a very serious offence. It cannot be done unless a government official is involved,” he said.
He further said that the fraud was not restricted to just 1000 or 2000 sq mt of land, but lakhs of sq mts of land.
“It’s the land of Goans. They need to get it back,” he said.
