While the government claims to be cracking down on rampant land grabbing across Goa, citizens and activists say the system remains broken — with illegally occupied properties yet to be reclaimed and key officials still unaccountable.
According to official figures shared in the Legislative Assembly, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has registered 30 cases and arrested 75 individuals, including 12 repeat offenders. However, the numbers tell only part of the story. Despite arrests, land continues to remain in the hands of encroachers — including those with political connections or bureaucratic backing.
Among the arrested are six government officials — Mamlatdars, Sub-Registrars and personnel from the Department of Archaeology — revealing how deeply embedded the rot runs within the State machinery.
Repeat offenders include Mohammad Suhail, Rajkumar Maithy, Yogesh Vazarkar, Royson Rodrigues, Amrut Govekar, Sandric Fernandes, Dhiresh Naik, and Siddiqui alias Suleman Khan, who had earlier escaped from police custody.
The SIT has received 787 complaints so far. Of these, 676 have been disposed of, and only 12 cases have been chargesheeted. Three FIRs have been quashed. In reality, many complainants say “disposal” has meant nothing more than bureaucratic closure without restitution or justice.
Eurico Mascarenhas, a resident of Socorro, is one such complainant. “I had filed two complaints of land grabbings including one against the former sarpanch. The other complaint was regarding fraudulent land mutation and illegal possession of land belonging to Comunidade of Serula. In both cases, the accused were arrested but land is yet to be reverted. The former sarpanch built three structures which are yet to be demolished and land reverted to the Comunidade. We are not receiving any help from the government,” he said.
The Chief Minister reiterated his government’s commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in land transactions across the State.
"Had the SIT on land grabbing not been constituted, the unlawful process of selling land from one party to another would have continued unchecked," said Sawant. He further informed that two accused persons are still in judicial custody in connection with the cases.
While the government has announced the creation of a special court and promised to implement the recommendations of a one-man Commission headed by retired Bombay High Court Justice V K Jadhav, critics argue that these moves are too little, too late. The Commission’s report, submitted in November 2023, has yet to translate into meaningful action on the ground.
Officials say the process of identifying and recovering illegally acquired properties is underway. However, no timeline has been given for actual land reversion, demolition of unauthorized structures, or compensation to affected communities.
For many, the entire machinery — from police to the revenue department — appears complicit or indifferent. The problem is not just illegal possession, but the failure of the State to act decisively after criminality is established. Arrests, they argue, make for good headlines, but justice demands follow-through.