Margao: South Goa Advocates Association (SGAA) has decided to widen its agitation over delays in mutation and partition proceedings into a pan-Goa movement.The decision was taken at a general body meeting to review the situation after the association’s meeting with collector Egna Cleetus about 10 days ago. SGAA president Clovis da Costa said the collector had promised a revised standard operating procedure (SOP), but it has not yet been issued.“We met the collector again, and she asked us to give our inputs. We revisited the SOP issued in 2024 and found that there is no accountability for delays in mutation and partition. Also, if an applicant is aggrieved by the mamlatdar’s order, he has to approach the same mamlatdar, which makes no sense. We will suggest that such grievances be addressed to the collector,” said Da Costa.The advocates said 210 mutation cases were disposed of in just half a day after their protest earlier this month, when they submitted a memorandum alleging maladministration and malpractices in revenue offices.“If this could be done after we protested, why couldn’t it be done earlier? We will continue to pressure the administration to streamline the process, as this concerns both lawyers and the general public,” he said.Da Costa said the problem was not confined to South Goa. “Lawyers in North Goa also face the same issue. We will make this a pan-Goa movement,” he said, adding that the association will look into other departments once the revenue department is streamlined.He also noted that chief minister Pramod Sawant had assured action against those found responsible for the delays, but nothing had been done so far.Referring to allegations of agents operating at the South Goa collectorate, Da Costa said, “Once the system is streamlined, there will be no place for agents.”The SGAA had alleged that files frequently went missing, applications were not processed chronologically and online applications routed through sub-registrars remained pending for months. It had sought an independent, time-bound inquiry into all mamlatdars’ functioning, a file-tracking system and accountability for non-compliance. The collector had assured the delegation that the issues would be addressed within a week.
