In a significant move under the Forest Rights Act, South Goa Dis trict Collector Egna Clee tus has approved 81 forest rights claims out of 104 that were recently reviewed. The remaining 23 claims were turned down due to inade quate documentation. The rejected claims came from villages in the Que pem taluka—specifically Padi, Quiscond, Cordem, and Quepem. According to Cleetus, the rejections were based purely on the ab sence of proper documents required under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The decision followed a meeting with the Forest Rights Committee (FRC) held at the South Goa Collec torate on Thursday. Cleetus assured that the process was carried out with care and in line with legal guidelines. Since the Forest Rights Act was implemented in 2014, South Goa has re ceived around 10,000 ap plications. Of these, 6,906 are still under review, while 1,319 applications have al ready been dismissed. The latest approvals represent progress in a process that has seen slow movement over the years. The Chief Minister had urged district collectors to speed up the verification and approval of claims. He em phasized the government’s intention to complete as many cases as possible with in this year and to ensure that all pending claims are addressed by March 2026. The CM acknowledged that several cases have faced delays due to internal family conflicts and a lack of cooperation from the claim ants. Despite these chal lenges, he expressed confi dence that the government will meet its goals by im proving coordination and administrative efficiency. The approval of these 81 claims is seen as a positive step in securing the land rights of forest-dependent communities and tradition al forest dwellers. It signals the administration’s com mitment to upholding the legal rights of vulnerable populations. With a renewed push to clear the backlog, authori ties are expected to process a larger number of claims in the coming months, offering long-awaited recognition and land security to many.
