Team Herald
PANJIM: Bowing to growing opposition on the amendment to the Goa Agriculture Tenancy Act ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday said the government is open to reviewing the amendment on ‘dispute redressal by courts’ by sending back the cases to the mamlatdar for settlement and disposal. However, the fresh amendments would be introduced only after the elections.
“At present we are not taking any decision but yes, after examining the issue, I am in favour of bringing it back to the mamlatdar for settlement and disposal,” Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told media persons after chairing a party meeting Tuesday morning.
Parsekar said that with the election code of conduct likely to come into force anytime now, the government is not in a position to take any decision. “BJP will again form a government in 2017. During our coming tenure, we will bring the necessary amendment,” he said.
The government has been facing severe criticism for the amendment by which tenancy cases have been transferred from the mamlatdar’s office to the Civil Court. Tenants, the Bahujan samaj, political opponents have raised strong objections to this.
Last year the government had withdrawn the controversial sunset clause (section 60C) that had given tenants three years from September 25, 2014, to file an application declaring tenancy rights under section 7 of the old Act.
The Chief Minister said that post the amendment in 2014, it took nearly ten months for the government to transfer all tenancy cases to the court. “If we now decide to revert, it will take another nine to ten months to get it back to the mamlatdar. But we will review it,” he said.
