TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: In an interesting twist to the controversial mutation case pending before the Salcete Mamlatdar office since July last year, the revenue authorities, Margao have now referred the file to the Special Committee constituted by the government under the Under Secretary (Debt Management Unit) for a decision – nearly 10 months after the Per Seraulim resident Betty Rodrigues approached the office for mutation of her property.
The seven member panel headed by the Under Secretary, Debt Management Unit, will now take a call whether the vendors, who are Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), were entitled to sell the property to Ms Rodrigues way back in January 2013.
Sources said the Committee is also expected to take a look at the Sale deed executed by the vendors before the Sub Registrar, Margao and whether the property in question is agricultural when the same fall in the Settlement zone.
The Committee will meet this week after Deputy Collector, Revenue, Margao Surendra Naik wrote to the Under Secretary, Debt Management Unit after the Jt Mamlatdar-I, Salcete pointed out that persons holding OCI/PIO cards are allowed to purchase property in India, but they are not allowed to purchase agricultural land.
In the instant case, the deputy collector maintained that the land in question is an agricultural land, and hence suggested that the matter be placed before the Committee to carry out a probe in terms of FEMA 1999.
Betty’s husband Saturnino, however, begged to differ. He demanded to know why the Jt Mamlatdar had taken 10 long months to refer the file to the Special committee for an opinion. “
All these 10 months, the Jt Mamlatdar virtually sat on the file, neither rejecting it nor granting the application for mutation,” Saturnino said.
He further pointed out that the land in question falls in the settlement zone and cannot be termed as agricultural as claimed by the revenue authorities, while pooh poohing the claim made by the revenue authorities that the purchase/sale of the property has carried out in violation of the RBI guidelines.
Betty had last month knocked the doors of the Goa Human Rights Commission complaining of alleged harassment, torture, pain, agony and injustice at the hands of government authorities after making more than 100 trips to the office of the Salcete Mamlatdar.
The seven member panel headed by the Under Secretary, Debt Management Unit, will now take a call whether the vendors, who are Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), were entitled to sell the property to Ms Rodrigues way back in January 2013
