Panaji: In compliance with the Supreme Court's directives to all state chief secretaries, the Goa government on Thursday constituted taluka-level Special Investigation Teams (SITs) to examine whether any reserved forest land under the possession of the state revenue department has been allotted to private individuals or institutions for purposes other than forestry.
Supreme Court Directives
The Supreme Court had ordered that appropriate steps should be taken to reclaim possession of such lands and hand them over to the forest department. The order further stated that in cases where reclaiming possession is not in the larger public interest, the state should recover the cost of such land and utilize it for forest development. As per the directives, states are required to complete this exercise within a year.
Preliminary Measures
As a preliminary measure, the state revenue department had already issued instructions to both the collectors and the forest department to conduct field inspections to identify such cases. Following this exercise, the constitution of the taluka-level SITs was formally notified on Thursday.
Composition of SITs
Each SIT will be led by the deputy collector, with an assistant conservator of forests serving as a member. Other members include representatives from the directorate of settlement and land records, the talathi of the respective village, and any other members co-opted by the team leader if required. The notification states: “The SITs shall examine whether any reserved forest land in possession of the revenue department has been allotted to any private individuals/institutions for any purpose other than the forestry purpose. It shall also identify and prepare a detailed inventory of such lands, including extent, location and present status. Recommend and initiate action for taking back possession of such lands and handing over the same to the forest department.”
Recovery of Costs
In cases where reclaiming possession is not feasible in the larger public interest, the SITs are to assess and recommend recovery of the cost of such land from the concerned individual or institution, for utilization towards forest development. The notification further adds: “The SITs shall also identify reserve forest lands which are still reflecting in the revenue records in the name of revenue department and submit a detailed report in each such case to the government through the respective collector. The progress of the SITs shall be jointly monitored by the collector of the respective district and the concerned deputy conservator of forests.”
