TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: In a bid to do away with the scourge of encroachments on government land, the Goa government tabled the Goa Land (Prohibition oof Construction) (Amendment) Bill, 2013 on Tuesday.
The Bill seeks to provide for three years jail sentence or fine which may extend to Rs 50,000 or both for those encroaching upon government land. At present the punishment is three months or a fine which may extend up to Rs 2,000.
The Bill also, for the first time, introduced a provision for punishing officials, who after receiving the information of any contravention of the provisions of this Act, without sufficient cause fail or neglect to take any action as provided in this Act. Such officials will be liable for a fine of Rs 50 per day of delay in taking such action, subject to a maximum of Rs 5,000 subject to a conviction by the Judicial Magistrate First Class after a complaint in that regard is filed by the government.
It also seeks to prevent ambiguity by adding to the existing definition that government land, includes land leased by or belonging to corporation, autonomous body and institutions belonging to and/or controlled by the government.
The bill seeks to amend section 6 of the Act, to make provisions for removing any unauthorized construction on the basis of entries in Form I & XIV, and also provide for action to be initiated only upon partition of the land and changing records accordingly. Lastly it provides for attaching any construction material dumped on such lands without issuing any notice. The Bill is expected to come up for discussion and passing on Thursday.
Once enacted, this bill should give government machinery additional teeth to act against encroachers as well as serve as a deterrent to those who have been colonizing government lands with impunity.
