PANAJI
The Aam Aadmi Party has said that land rights is one of the most important issues in Goa and it entirely supports any legislation or step that will provide Goans with their right, but asserted that the Bhumiputra bill was a fraud.
The party said the government's intention to only use this issue as an election stunt and not give land rights to Goans stands exposed. There are already 25,000 cases of land rights of niz Goenkars pending for decades under existing laws. The current government has neither streamlined nor paid attention to these processes, it said in a press note issued here.
The AAP pointed out that the word “Adhikarini” in the Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill that exposes BJP’s intention to only use this as an election stunt and not give land rights to Goans. No new Adhikarini is being created by this bill. It is the same talathi, mamlatdar and collector who are already saddled with 25,000 cases of land rights, it added.
AAP informed, “The break-up of cases is as follows: Agricultural Tenancy Act 3500, Mundkar Act 3,000, Alvara Land 3,500, Mayem evacuee property 800, Regularisation of unauthorised construction 8,500 and Forest Rights Act 10,000.”
“After AAP’s expose, the CM is now suddenly interested in why the existing cases have not proceeded fast enough. Why did he not think earlier of the real Bhumiputras already waiting for their land rights for decades?” said AAP Goa Convenor Rahul Mhambre.
“The very fact that the BJP President said the bill could be withdrawn, proves that this was just a party-level stunt for the upcoming elections,” added Mhambre.
