North Goa collector clears 60 forest rights claims
Panaji:
North Goa collector
Ankit Yadav
chaired a meeting of the district level committee (DLC) on Tuesday, where 108 claims under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act were taken up for screening.
The committee approved 60 cases, while 30 cases were rejected as the applicants claimed revenue land or land owned by the Goa Forest Development Corporation. Yadav also sent 17 claims back to the sub-divisional level committee (SDLC) for further clarification after discrepancies were noticed in the size of the land being claimed.
The collector has been chairing one meeting every week ever since chief minister Pramod Sawant announced a fast-track schedule to clear pending claims.
Goa has about 10,500 applications for forest rights, of which 870 cases were cleared, and 949 cases were rejected prior to the fast-track schedule. Of the 10,500 applications, about 8,000 remain pending — 2,000 at the gram sabha level and 3,500 with the deputy collectors.
'Claims that were sent back to the sub-divisional level committee had a contradiction in the area during spot verification, and there was no justification given for the difference in the findings,' said Yadav.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Lahodné Primitivo v degustačním balení nyní o 58 % levněji
Vinokral.cz
Zkusit nyní
Undo
With the monsoon session of the legislative assembly set to commence on Monday, the DLC will pause the weekly meetings and continue once the assembly session concludes. 'Thirty cases were rejected as they are on revenue land or land that belongs to Goa Forest Development Corporation, and this land is being auctioned for cashew plantations, so no single person can claim ownership,' said Yadav.
Sawant has directed the two district collectors to ensure that by Dec 19, all applications have to be processed and decided upon.
Applications to recognise the rights of forest-dwelling communities have been pending since 2006. The current process requires the claims to be approved by the respective gram sabha, after which the file is sent for the SDLC's approval. Once the SDLC clears the application, the respective DLC grants the final nod, and the collector issues the sanad certificate.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
APCC prez meets Rahul, raises concern over proposed Siang project
Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bosiram Siram on Thursday raised concerns over the proposed 11,000-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He warned that the mega dam, with a proposed height of more than 300 metres, will lead to the displacement of nearly 1.5 lakh indigenous tribal people and the submergence of over 27 villages in the Siang region. During a meeting with leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, , in New Delhi, Siram emphasized that the project posed a grave threat to the ecology, cultural heritage and livelihoods in Siang, Upper Siang, East Siang and adjoining districts. He said the dam would result in the permanent loss of ancestral homes, jhum fields (shifting cultivation lands), paddy lands, and community infrastructure and would also impact sacred cultural landmarks such as Kekar Monying. Siram alleged that surveys and feasibility studies for the project were being carried out forcibly, often with the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces. He argued that this violated provisions under Article 371(H) of the Constitution, the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). He further said Arunachal Pradesh was situated in seismic zone-V, the highest-risk earthquake category, and the construction of such a massive structure significantly increases the risk of landslides, erosion, and earthquake-induced disasters. While clarifying that Congress was not opposed to development or dam construction in general, Siram said the objection was specifically to mega dams of abnormal height that threatens the very survival and identity of indigenous communities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He urged Rahul Gandhi to adopt a balanced and people-centric approach to the issue. According to a party statement, Rahul Gandhi assured Siram that the matter will be seriously examined, describing it as an issue of national importance. Siram also used the opportunity to advocate for the modification of Article 371(H) of the Statehood Act of Arunachal Pradesh. He sought to bring it at par with the provisions granted to Nagaland and Mizoram under Article 371(A) and 371(G), respectively. He argued that the current lack of legislative autonomy over land and natural resources has deprived Arunachal's indigenous people of ownership rights over water, forest and land. Furthermore, the APCC chief raised the issue of the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and demanded the reintroduction of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to ensure post-retirement security for state govt employees.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
No category called 'suspicious voters' in RP Act, can't manipulate EVMs: Law minister
. NEW DELHI: There is no category of voters called "suspicious voters" under the Representation of the People (RP) Act, law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Thursday in response to a question in Rajya Sabha. Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman raised the question whether in the last Lok Sabha elections suspicious voters had also cast their votes. He said there is a lot of speculation about suspicious voters, and alleged that the results can be manipulated on electronic voting machines (EVMs). He asked the minister if the votes were being cast correctly. " Election Commission has informed that there is no category of suspicious voters as per the RP Act," the minister said, and added that EC further informed that "the election results cannot be manipulated on EVMs". Meghwal said there is no doubt in the fairness and integrity of EVMs which, he said, have stood the test of several elections, public and legal scrutiny over the years. "EC has further informed that in at least 42 petitions against use of EVMs which have been filed before various high courts and Supreme Court, and after going through various aspects of the technological soundness and the administrative safeguards involved in the use of EVMs, the courts have repeatedly held that EVMs are tamper proof, credible and reliable," the minister added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo He said EC has mentioned that to dispel any apprehension of any kind, EVM-related documents, such as manual on EVM and VVPAT, presentation on EVM, status paper on EVM, legal history of EVMs and VVPATs and FAQs are available in public domain on EC website that anyone can check.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Malegaon blast case: UAPA sanctions invalid, terror charge can't stick, rules court
MUMBAI: Special trial judge A K Lahoti, in a key finding that led to the collapse of the Malegaon blast case , held that the prior sanction under the anti-terror law UAPA against the accused was "invalid." It was issued without judicious application of mind, and the mandatory twin test safeguard required by law was not scrupulously followed, the court said. The judge analysed Section 45 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which outlines procedural safeguards. Section 45(1) requires valid sanction from the Centre or state govt to prosecute any terror offence under the Act. Section 45(2) mandates an independent review of the evidence by an authority appointed by the govt. Lt Col Prasad Purohit, through his counsel Shrikant Shivade (who passed away in 2022) and later advocate Viral Babar, had consistently argued that the UAPA sanction was flawed. Other accused also challenged the validity of the Jan 2009 sanction and another issued in 2011 by the additional chief secretary (home). The trial court held both sanctions to be "defective." While the prosecution claimed it had followed the twin test, the court said there was no evidence it was done as mandated under Section 45(2). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stylish New Mobility Scooters Available for Seniors (Prices May Surprise You) Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Search Now Undo "The sanction is not a curable defect. So, all the provisions of UAPA will not be invoked," the judge ruled. Advocates Ranjeet Sangle (for Sudhakar Dwivedi) and J P Mishra (for Sadhvi Pragya Singh) also argued that the first sanction bypassed the statutory safeguard under Section 45(2), and that the absence of such review invalidated the trial court's cognisance of UAPA charges. Special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal had contended that the sanction's validity could only be decided during the trial, a view echoed by the Supreme Court in 2018. However, the special judge reviewed the sanctioning procedure and found that UAPA charges could not be sustained due to the faulty sanction. Shivade had also pointed out that the authority did not comply with the mandatory safeguard of an additional review committee required under law since Dec 31, 2008. The prosecution argued that since the crime occurred in Sept 2008, the earlier 2004 provision-without the second review-was applicable. But the Supreme Court clarified in 2023 that the UAPA's procedural safeguards during sanction are mandatory.
