Goa govt to legalise over 1 lakh houses existing prior to 1972

Panaji: In a major decision to legalise houses in the state that are facing the threat of demolition, state govt on Friday issued two circulars. One was by the revenue department and the other by the directorate of panchayat, to legalise over one lakh illegal houses that existed prior to 1972 on any land.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that these circulars do not give any ownership rights on the land, but they legalise the structure and clarify the land status. “We are making houses legal. The revenue department will give sanand, and the panchayat will give status as legal,” he said.

Sawant said that with these circulars, there is no need to bring any bills in the assembly. A few minutes before the press conference to announce the circulars, both Sawant and revenue minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate made a statement on the floor of the House that govt will bring a bill to regularise the houses.

Sawant said that to clear the confusion in villages about illegal structures, govt has issued two circulars. He said that if the house is shown on the survey plan but does not have any document, then the owner of the house should go to the deputy collector and apply for the sanad.

He said that once the sanad is issued by the deputy collector under this circular, and in case the owner of the house needs to construct a new house, then the same sanad can be used.

The circular said that the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, has exempted all lands (survey holdings) situated in the settlement zone, as per the Regional Plan/Outline Development Plan, from the operation of provisions. This is provided the survey records of such survey show the existence of a structure on the said land, the total area of the survey holding does not exceed 1,000sqm, and the existing structure, as shown in the survey map, covers at least 25% of the total area of the said plot.

However, govt found that in several cases, structures which are already in existence and are duly reflected in the records of rights (Form I and XIV) as well as in the survey plans prepared under the provisions of the Goa, Daman and Diu Land Revenue Code, 1968 (during the period 1970 to 1972) are being required to obtain a fresh conversion sanad at the time of reconstruction.

“This has led to certain ambiguities and inconsistent interpretations across departments regarding the applicability of the conversion provisions under the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968,” govt said.