PANJIM: The State government has appointed former collector ND Agarwal to lead an inquiry committee to probe the audit findings on the management of Alvara lands in the State conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
CAG in its annual report for the year ending March 31, 2015 had slammed the government over its shabby probe into the massive irregularities in sale of land granted under Alvara mode. The government on Thursday constituted a six-member committee led by Agarwal to inquire into the findings of CAG that had citied a few cases of illegal sale of eleven lease-held lands involving a total area of 88.12 hectares despite a restriction on transfer of land under the law.
The committee, which has to submit its report in three months, also has the North and South Goa collectors as its members. CAG had found that in five cases of lease-held lands involving 43.62 hectares, which had been reverted to the government, had been sold to third parties.
Government has already approved ownership rights to Alvara land holders by giving occupancy rights on payment of fees and taxes imposed by the government. The Alvara grants were gifted to several Goan families by the Portuguese around the year 1917.
The State Assembly had introduced amendments to the Goa Land Revenue (Disposal of Government Land) (Eight Amendment) Rule 2016.
