Landlord NOC for power, water connections no longer needed
Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has set an ambitious target to resolve all pending Mundkarial cases in Goa by December 2026.
“I am fully aware of the difficulties faced by mundkars. We urge them to file their applications, and I can confidently say to them ‘Bhivpachi Garaj Na’ (there’s no need to fear),” said Sawant, replying to a private member’s resolution moved by Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar.
He said that power, water, and toilet connections for original Mundkars with pre-1971 single units would no longer require landlord NOC adding, “We’re streamlining sale deeds and purchase orders under the Goa, Daman and Diu Mundkars (Protection from Eviction) Act, 1975.”
Revenue Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate said that the act allows Mundkars to acquire land up to 300 sqm in panchayat areas and 200 sqm in municipal council areas. “Since 2022, we’ve cleared 2,323 of 2,845 cases, although 2,408 cases remain pending due to the continuous influx of new applications,” he said.
Arolkar raised concerns about mundkars’ struggles with devasthan and comunidade lands, stressing that poor people lack the financial resources to fight legal battles. “It’s been 60 years since Liberation, yet mundkars haven’t been freed from landlord harassment,” Arolkar said. He suggested a scheme similar to the central PM Swamitva Yojana, but Sawant said that such a scheme would not apply in Goa due to the state’s unique land records system.
“Owners have their land records. Purchase sanad is a land record given to the mundkar,” Sawant said.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao said there is a backlog of 52,000 pending Mundkar and tenancy cases, particularly in Salcete and Ponda. “What happened to the promise of clearing these cases within a year?” he asked. BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral suggested creating joint mamlatdars exclusively for mundkarial and tenancy cases, while AAP MLA Cruz Silva asked for an update on the government’s progress in clearing cases.
“A year ago, the minister stated 91 cases were disposed of during Saturday sittings, but 2,485 tenancy and 2,059 Mundkar cases remained pending. What’s the current status?” Silva said.
Detailing efforts, including the introduction of a court monitoring app for transparency, Monserrate said, “Orders issued in September 2022 limit adjournments to three per case, with hearings every 10 days. Special mamlatdars exclusively handle mundkar cases, with priority given to those pending for over three years.”
