Dead On Arrival : Goa Restriction on Transfer of Agricultural Land Bill 2023
Filled with lacunae for outsiders to exploit. Overlooks where and how rapid urbanisation is happening in Goa.
"Agricultural Land" means and include land classified as such in the revenue record or used for cultivation or raising for any crop or grass or garden produce,horticulture, floriculture or any other activity which the Department Of Agriculture may notify.
Goa Restriction On Transfer Of Agricultural Land Bill of 2023, which is being discussed in the Goa Assembly today, is DOA (Dead On Arrival) and shall serve no legitimate purpose.
For the fact that, The bill serves only as a mean to protect paddy land, and disqualifies all the other means of agriculture, is the biggest short-fall of it.
While protecting and increasing paddy cultivation in the state of Goa, is undoubtedly very important; but far more important is to protect, the land used for above said purposes.
A one day drive through, touristic North Goa belt, would throw the fact that, new plush apartment complexes,hotels, resorts are being built by cutting hills and encroaching on land, which was earlier used for different purposes, including grass lands.
This land is by all available illegal means, are being sold from businessmen from outside, who have all the money power, to shower cash on everyone from top to bottom of government of Goa hierarchy.
In Goa, vasts tracts of land, which could be termed as forests/hills also belong to general public; the bill keeps the avenue open for such tracts of land to be sold for all commercial purposes.
While Paddy is cultivated all across Goa, in most of the places, the viability of having a commercial enterprise being started there is minimal, due to topography of the land; also they are far from commercial hubs (tourist locations.
The bill itself, has so many lacuna available,that, it could be easily exploited through money power.
a) Collector can grant permission, under special circumstances.
b) Farming can be started within 3 years of land being acquired, else it shall revert back to it's original status. But does not mention, any mechanism for preventing the misuse or the penalty for the same.
c) Any dispute arising of the sale of land, would be investigated and settled by Mamlatdar, which is a huge black-hole of the bill, ready to be exploited.
d) What happens when the land is agricultural, but has been lying fallow, and no agricultural activity is taking place, since years, which is the case with vast tracts of such land.
There has not been even attempts to study, how other states have tried to implement such laws.
The stop the rapid and rampant urbanisation of Goa, was supposed to be the primary objective of this bill, but it falls flat on the surface; because only paddy land is covered.
How can urbanisation of Goa can be stopped if, the cashew plantations, the hills, the land where traditional grower still have orchards and vegetable horticulture, is kept out of the purview of the bill?