MARGAO: Litigants in Salcete have demanded that the government put a system in place to handle revenue cases and take disciplinary action against employees of Mamlatdar offices who they allege are adding to their frustration with their uncooperative behaviour.
Salcete taluka tops the list of pending cases in relation to mundcar, tenancy, and mutations, with a total of 1,415 mundcarial cases, 1,426 tenancy cases, and 3,277 mutation cases
pending in the South
district revenue courts as of April 2022.
One angry litigant from a Salcete village said litigants are shocked when they arrive for the hearing on the scheduled date, only to find their hearings pushed to a much later date with no heads up. He also complained that the employees at the Mamlatdar’s office are rude and unhelpful when they try to make inquiries about their cases. He appealed to these staffers to lessen the burden of litigants by improving their behaviour.
Regan Fernandes, a citizen of Margao, stated that just an announcement from the government or the concerned minister to put a mechanism in place cannot help resolve the issue. “What is needed is for presiding officers to be well-trained to deal with the increasing number of cases,” he said, alleging that many presiding officers fail to apply their minds due to a lack of training in handling the revenue cases. “As a result, they keep on skipping dealing with the cases,” he claimed.
A Mamlatdar from Salcete who did not wish to be named explained that they find it difficult to dispose of cases in a short time due to several reasons, including disputes raised by the ‘bhatkars’, besides being bound to perform other duties. Admitting that there is a delay in disposing of revenue cases, Additional Collector Srinet Kothwale assured that the government has already initiated the process of expediting the cases. He also promised to inquire into the allegations of misbehaviour and lack of cooperation from the employees of the Mamlatdar’s offices.
