Khaunte vows to act against ‘scams’ in mahiti ghars

Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte has promised to bring to a halt the ‘scams’ taking place in the name of mahiti ghars in several towns across the state where agencies outsourced to provide government services were failing to do so and instead were misusing government data at its disposal.

the goan I network | MARCH 29, 2017, 05:21 AM IST

PANAJI 

Speaking to The Goan, Khaunte said that he was aware of the complaints filed against such agencies running the ghars.   
“These issues will be brought to a halt. I am familiar with the matter. There were several complaints as well as official inquiry reports against these mahiti ghars which were lying with the government and not acted upon,” Khaunte said.   
Under the first scheme ‘A’ there were seven such mahiti ghars set up at Panaji, Mapusa, Quepem, Ponda, Sanguem, Poinguinim and Margao. Separately under scheme ‘B’ further six ghars were set up at Valpoi, Bicholim, Sanquelim, Rivona and Canacona.   
The ghars were supposed to provide a list of fifteen services including providing copies of Form I & XIV, birth and death certificates, issue information on schemes, survey maps, etc.   
Instead the mahiti ghars were implementing only three of the listed fifteen services and instead were involving themselves in other activities outside their domain.   
In one instance, in Bicholim a staffer of the agency running the mahiti ghar was arrested on suspicion of accepting files of mutation, conversion and partition although no officer other than the mamlatdar has the authority to handle such kinds of files.   
The staffer used to demand money for respective files against fake receipts. The gullible public used to accept the same thinking that this must be an office related to the Bicholim mamlatdar’s office.   
A similar complaint was filed against the Panaji mahiti ghar. In his complaint to the police, Adv Aires Rodrigues had stated that though a mahiti ghar is only permitted to furnish copies of land record documents many of these in stark violation were providing other government services.
He has given the police details of exorbitant fees being charged for some of the services as against the official fees being charged at the civil-cum-sub registrar offices.   
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