TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Citing a land-mafia rush to grab land in Goa’s non-settlement zones, the Congress demanded a high-level inquiry through Justice (retired) Shah into the large scale purchases of agricultural and tenanted land – including acquisitions during the earlier Congress regimes.
The party also urged the government to introduce a law banning the sale of agricultural land to non-agriculturalists until the State received special status. It also promised to amend the controversial Agricultural Tenancy Act if it was voted to power in the 2017 assembly elections.
Addressing the press, Congress media-cell in-charge Ramakant Khalap alleged, “In the past three years, there is major conspiracy on the part of the government and land mafias to grab agricultural, orchard, and tenanted lands at very low prices. There are many ruling-party leaders involved in such illegal land deals.”
He asked that a thorough inquiry going back several years be conducted, and said his party was not exempt. The Terecol Golf Course was his example. “I agree that land for the Golf Course was purchased during Congress time. That, too, needs to be investigated. The judiciary, like the High Court, needs to take suo moto cognizance of such activities.”
According to Khalap, a former state law commissioner, the third law commission report he drafted spoke about introducing a legislation to protect agricultural land by banning its sale to non-agriculturalists. The report was submitted to the government in March 2012. He said, “But, the government failed to bring in such legislation. In fact, it promised to grant special status to Goa to protect its limited land resources. That promise, too, they failed to deliver,”
The Congress also slammed government for the delay in finalizing the Regional Plan 2021.
