Margao: Close on the heels of their protest over delays in mutation/partition proceedings, South Goa Advocates’ Association (SGAA) has demanded a standard operating procedure (SOP) for partition, amalgamation and other proceedings at survey offices, including a rule that notices be issued to respondents within 14 days of an application being inwarded.In a memorandum addressed to the director of settlement and land records, SGAA, which represents about 900 advocates in South Goa and Khushavati district, said lawyers and litigants are made to visit the offices of the inspector of survey and land records (ISLR) and the city survey repeatedly, even after applications are duly filed. On most visits, files are “said to be untraceable”, it said.The association said prolonged scrutiny, repeated objections and the lack of fixed timelines open the door to arbitrary decisions and “apprehensions of improper practices and corruption”.The SOP, it said, should provide a public checklist of documents, timelines for notices, hearings and final orders, acknowledgements with inward numbers and expected timelines, status tracking, and accountability for unjustified delays. It also sought electronic and cash fee payment and e-issue of notices where legally permissible. It wants strict implementation of the Goa Right of Citizens to Time-Bound Delivery of Public Services Act, 2013.SGAA also flagged a procedural hurdle in partition cases. Even after a civil court passes a preliminary decree and the survey department prepares area adjustment statements, parties are often asked to file fresh applications after the final decree. It said a certified copy of the final decree should be enough to trigger updating of records, without altering the decree.The association also demanded special mega camps to clear pending cases and offered its cooperation. It sought an inquiry under a senior officer into the reasons for pendency at ISLR Margao, a nodal officer to monitor pendency across the offices, and a grievance-redressal mechanism.
