Goa Assembly Passes Controversial Bill to Legalize Unauthorized Houses

The Goa Assembly passed the Goa Regularisation of Unauthorised Construction (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on Thursday night, aimed at regularizing unauthorized houses on comunidade and government lands, despite fierce opposition protests. The bill, introduced by Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate, amends the 2016 Act to allow regularization of structures built before February 28, 2014, prompting accusations from opposition MLAs that it favors non-Goans.

Comunidade lands, a unique Goan system of communal ownership, require applicants to secure consent from respective comunidade bodies and pay fines. The legislation permits a built-up area of up to 500 square meters in village panchayat areas and 600 square meters in municipal areas, adhering to local floor area ratio norms. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant emphasized that the bill targets 35,000 houses, with 30,000 belonging to Goans, and was drafted in response to orders from the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court and the National Green Tribunal to prevent demolition of long-standing structures.

The opposition, led by MLAs from the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, staged a walkout and a sit-in outside the assembly, forcing Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar to adjourn proceedings twice for 10 and five minutes amid chaos. Critics, including RGP MLA Viresh Borkar, argued the bill could benefit migrant workers and lacks safeguards to prioritize Goans. Sawant countered that only landless Goans residing in the state for 15 years qualify, with a 30-day application window and a special officer to oversee the process.

Also Read: Goa Assembly Passes Bill to Legalise Pre-2014 Homes on Govt Land

The bill aligns with recent amendments to the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, allowing regularization of pre-2014 structures on government lands. However, concerns persist about enforcement, with reports indicating over 5,500 pending cases under the 2016 Act as of December 2024. The Revenue Department has set a March 2025 deadline to clear these, but delays in inspections by agencies like the Public Works Department continue to hinder progress.

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