Goa CM Pramod Sawant Announces Major Progress in Majhe Ghar Scheme
Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that over 5,000 applications have been approved under the Majhe Ghar scheme. He further stated that approximately 3,000 orders are ready to be handed over to the house owners. A total of 1,000 orders will be distributed to beneficiaries in South Goa district on Thursday at Margao's Ravindra Bhavan.
Govt's Stance on Illegal Construction
Sawant emphasised that more than 95% of houses on government land belong to Goans. He asserted that the state government will not allow all migrants to construct illegal houses. “My govt does not promote illegal construction in Goa. We have streamlined the process so that there is no illegal house constructed in Goa,” the CM said.
Queries and Future Plans
He mentioned that specific counters have been arranged to resolve any issues related to the Majhe Ghar scheme. A similar programme will be organised in North Goa district. Sawant also stated that if a comunidade refuses to issue a no objection certificate (NoC) to regularise a house on their land, the administrator of the comunidade will issue NOCs to those households within a month.
Regularisation of Houses on Comunidade Land
Regarding the regularisation of houses on encroached comunidade land, the state government, through the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 (Amendment) Bill, 2025, inserted an article allowing the regularisation of dwelling houses built on comunidade land before February 28, 2014, by landless individuals. On the Goa Regularisation of Unauthorised Construction (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the bill opens a new two-year window for applicants who missed previous deadlines or faced rejection. Consent from co-owners is no longer needed, and area limits have increased to 600sqm in rural areas and 1,000sqm in urban areas.
Process for Govt Land Regularisation
The deputy collector will consider and dispose of any objections or suggestions received within 30 days from the expiry of the notice period to regularise the houses on government land. Beneficiaries of the regularisation of houses on government land will not be able to sell or transfer the land, or any portion of it, until 20 years have passed from the date of regularisation. The state government has said that even after 20 years, any transfer of the land shall be subject to government decision.
Penalties for False Declarations
The rules specify that applicants may face jail time of up to two years or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh if they furnish a false declaration or document for the allotment of government land.
