Mapusa co-op bank site to house new registrar’s office after govt nod

Panaji: The state cabinet on Thursday granted approval to acquire commercial premises, ‘Nandadeep’, of Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank at Mapusa town, along with land measuring 2,538sqm, valued at Rs 25 crore. Govt plans to construct a new office of the Mapusa sub-registrar on the land.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that govt acquired this building so that depositors can get their money back.

The office of the civil registrar-cum-sub-registrar, Bardez, located on the 2nd floor of Essar Building, Mapusa, is facing an acute shortage of space, resulting in regular complaints of inconvenience to the public, including persons with disabilities and senior citizens. The complaints cite the non-maintenance of the lift and inadequate seating arrangements.

The staff of the office of the civil registrar work in cramped conditions with improper toilet facilities, poor ventilation, and an inadequate record room to safeguard documents.

In the last assembly session, various difficulties of the citizens visiting the office were brought to the notice of govt by some elected representatives.

The land on which Nandadeep was constructed was given to Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank by govt after acquiring it under the Land Acquisition Act. The bank went into liquidation later.

The liquidator requested permission from govt to auction the property and the proposal was placed before the revenue department. The liquidator said that around 1,400 depositors, who have more than Rs 5 crore in deposits with the bank, have to be repaid, and the total dues are approximately Rs 71 crore. Hence, permission for auctioning was sought to repay the depositors.

Meanwhile, the state registrar and head of notary services, Panaji, identified the Nandadeep building as a suitable location for a permanent solution if the property is acquired and new premises are constructed on the site.

The proposal was to acquire the premises for an approximate total consideration of Rs 20 crore.

Govt accepted the proposal after careful examination and taking into consideration the notification issued by the revenue department on the minimum land rates in 2024. Govt also considered the formula adopted under the policy on procurement of land under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

The commercial location of the property and the interest of the depositors helped govt determine that Rs 25 crore would be a fair valuation to acquire the property.



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