NT Reporter
Margao
The first day of the government’s 30-day inquiry under the NAKSHA Project (Urban Property Card Survey) to determine the legal rights of property owners in the Margao and Cuncolim municipal areas received a poor response from citizens. The inquiry commenced on Thursday.
“Just one or two persons were seen inquiring about the process and requirements. Although two designated officers were present—one each for Margao and Cuncolim—the officer in charge was unable to address my queries. His role appeared limited to issuing forms and collecting property-related documents. There was no established system or available records for officials to verify the submitted documents,” former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes told The Navhind Times
Gomes said that it was concerning that the government expected title documents for over 18,000 properties in the Cuncolim municipal area to be produced within a 30-day window.
According to the government’s notification, the inquiry officer from the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR), Margao, is conducting the inquiry under Sections 14 and 85 of the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, from July 16 to
August 14.
Property owners are required to personally visit the designated survey office at Osia Complex, Margao, within the stipulated period and produce original ownership documents, including title deeds, sale deeds, succession deeds or previous land survey records, to complete the verification process, the notification stated.
Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said citizens generally react cautiously to property-related issues. He said that the Raia areas of the Curtorim constituency are included in the Margao segment of the NAKSHA pilot project.
“This caution stems from the numerous reported land scams. Such document verification processes must be conducted comprehensively rather than selectively,” Lourenco said.
