PANJIM: Come month-end, the process to regularize unauthorized structures is expected to commence with the district collectors receiving over 3,800 applications, so far.
“We have constituted teams to scrutinize the applications and conduct physical verification at the sites where the structures are located. The process would begin by month-end,” Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte told Herald.
Following State Legislative Assembly passing the Goa Regularization of Unauthorized Construction Bill, last year, the then Laxmikant Parsekar-led government had issued an ordinance in June, 2016 to provide for regularisation of unauthorized constructions existing before February 28, 2014.
Khaunte echoed that only those structures within the ambit of the Bill will be regularized. “The teams will have to look at the Bill that was passed (in the Assembly), requirement from the applicant as to what they need to suffice in terms of government paperwork, etc. only after which we can take ahead the process. Everything defined in the Act will be followed,” he said adding that the policy clearly speaks of covering only those houses which are in the concerned owners’ property and not regular.
“Physical verification is a must to verify the structure actually exists and if it does, it should be in their own property. Those houses in the government or communidade land, or others’ property are not entitled under the Act. That’s why scrutiny of genuine applications is to be done,” he further said.
Minister said, “We need a legal framework. All calculations need to be done in terms of infrastructure tax, conversion charges…etc…they need to abide by all this.”
Former CM Parsekar had stated that structures along the road side or on other people’s property will not be considered.
As per the Bill, regularization of any residential or commercial unauthorized construction in one’s own property, or carried out by a co-owner with written consent of other owners in a joint property, or dwelling houses by mundkar, construction on institutional land with proper consent, will be considered.
Constructions falling within protected forests, wildlife sanctuaries, no development zone, open spaces, public land, eco-sensitive zone, coastal regulation zone and khazan lands will not be entertained.
