FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Citing slow progress and halting of work due to COVID-19 pandemic, the State government has decided to approach Supreme Court pleading for additional two years time to complete and dispose-off all the forest right claims. The State has received total 10,136 claims for forest rights.
Chief Secretary, IAS, Parimal Rai on Friday held a meeting to review the progress and implementation of Forest Rights Act, 2006. Directions have been issued to North and South Goa District Collectors to expedite the process to dispose-off the pending forest right claims. Till date, only 46 titles have been handed over the claimants.
Sources informed that the Chief Secretary noted that work to dispose-off forest right claims is going on at a snail-pace and due to the pandemic the entire process has been halted.
“The meeting resolved to file an additional affidavit in the Apex Court seeking further two years time to dispose all the forest rights claims,” sources said.
In the affidavit filed before Supreme Court on February 28, 2019, the State had initially sought for one year’s time to review the rejected claims and two years time for disposing it.
“The time period of one year to review the rejected claims has ceased in the month of July, 2020 and time period of two years for disposing all claims will cease in July, 2021,” the sources said.
“However, all the 47 rejected claims have been reviewed within time specified,” the sources said adding that of the total 47 rejected claims, 42 are re-considered and sent for re-spot verification, four claims are withdrawn by the claimants and one is approved by the District Level Committee.
The Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) had received a total 10,136 claims of which 2,482 are in North while 7,654 are in South.
