All cases under Forest Rights Act would be disposed off in next 6 months

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Porvorim: The Goa government has set up a target of six months to the Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) to decide on all the claims under Forest Rights Act of tribals who are living in the forested areas of state’s Sanguem and Sattari talukas.

Both the talukas have sizeable number of tribals who are eligible for the ownership of their cultivated land under Forest Rights Act.

On Tuesday, a high level meeting participated by Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar, State Tribal Welfare Minister Govind Gaude, State Public Works Department minister Deepak Pauskar, Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes and Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar, was held at the Secretariat.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Kavlekar said that all the FRCs have been given a deadline of next six months to settle all the claims under Forest Rights Act.

He said that 300 cases per month would be settled by the committees after following all the required procedure. District Collector has been asked to monitor all the process and submit monthly report to the State government, he said.

Kavlekar conceded that while top ranking Forest department officials agree to cooperate in giving the rightful claims to the tribles, the low ranking officials create “unnecessary hassles.”

The FRCs were constituted in February, 2019 under Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Gaude said that the spot verification of the lands which are covered under the act is done by the authorities. “By mid-November, first slot of 340 cases would be settled under the Act,” he added.

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