MAPUSA
In a detailed exposition, senior advocate and former Advocate General Carlos Ferreira has shed light on the systemic flaws enabling a rise in various frauds across Goa, including land scams, cash-for-jobs schemes and financial frauds. He has also proposed practical solutions to address these pervasive issues.
Land scams: A crisis rooted in poor record-keeping
Ferreira pointed out that land fraud in Goa has escalated significantly due to the replacement of the Portuguese-era land registration system with the Indian Registration Act.
Under the Portuguese system, every property had a distinct registration number, and ownership records were meticulously maintained. The system included detailed descriptions of the land and an "inscription book," which tracked all title transfers, mortgages and ownership changes.
“The Portuguese system allowed anyone to verify the ownership of a property. Today, with no continuation or recreation of those records, properties are being sold based on survey records, which the Supreme Court has clarified are not valid documents of title,” Ferreira explained.
He lamented the lack of an integrated system to correlate old registration records with newer survey records. This gap, he argued, has allowed fraudsters to sell properties without proper ownership documentation. In some cases, disputes arise due to similarities in names or lost ancestral records, further complicating matters.
Proposed solutions:
* Establish a comprehensive registration system akin to the old Portuguese records, accessible to the public, but safeguarded to prevent misuse.
* Avoid passbook-like systems for ownership records due to complications in cases of joint ownership or inheritance.
* Provide provisions for property owners to update their records, especially for non-resident owners, with adequate privacy safeguards.
* The government must reconcile historical records with current survey records to create a unified system.
Cash-for-jobs scandal: Product of poor workforce planning
Ferreira squarely blamed the government for the proliferation of cash-for-jobs schemes. He criticised the government for failing to fill vacancies in a timely manner, leading to desperation among job seekers. “When vacancies are not filled year after year, a backlog builds up, creating high demand and pressure. This desperation drives people to pay bribes for jobs,” he stated. He emphasised that many victims of these scams are hesitant to come forward due to fear of losing future opportunities, making enemies, or being stigmatised.
Proposed solutions:
* The government must proactively plan for anticipated vacancies, ensuring promotions and hiring are conducted on schedule.
* Public awareness campaigns should encourage victims of job scams to report such cases without fear of repercussions.
* Foster an independent police force to investigate corruption without political interference.
Financial scams: Lessons in vigilance, accountability
Addressing financial fraud, Ferreira highlighted two primary types: frauds initiated with the intent to cheat from the outset, and those arising later due to financial mismanagement. “When someone collects donations for a school that doesn’t exist, that’s cheating from inception. But if you lose money in a high-risk venture, it’s not the same,” he clarified.
He warned the public to be sceptical of schemes promising unrealistically high returns, stating, “Think ten times before investing.” He also criticised employees who misuse their positions in financial institutions to perpetrate frauds. “Such individuals should not only be dismissed but also blacklisted to prevent recurrence,” Ferreira suggested.
Proposed solutions:
* Strengthen regulatory oversight of financial institutions.
* Encourage public awareness to spot fraudulent schemes.
* Institute stringent penalties for employees involved in financial frauds.
Call for honest governance, independent oversight
Ferreira concluded that the root cause of these scams lies in a lack of accountability and transparency in governance. He called for an independent and empowered investigative system to hold even the highest officials accountable. “Unless we have a genuinely honest government that is willing to raid its own ministers, these issues will persist,” he remarked.
Through his insights, Ferreira has laid out a roadmap for systemic reforms, emphasizing the need for accountability, transparency and robust record-keeping to curb the growing menace of fraud in Goa.
