The Goa Assembly on Thursday passed the Goa Regularisation of Unauthorised Construction (Amendment) Bill, 2025 by voice vote amidst ruckus in the House. The legislation seeks to regularise unauthorised constructions, but legal experts have said the law is likely to be tested in the High Court.
The amendment makes changes to Section 3, offering a fresh two-year window for applications from those who could not apply earlier or whose applications were rejected on certain grounds. The permissible built-up area for regularisation has also been increased — up to 500 square metres in village panchayats and 600 square metres in municipal or Corporation areas, subject to FAR (Floor Area Ratio) norms.
A new Section 6A has also been introduced to empower the authorised officer to correct errors or review an order for any other sufficient reason, aiming to avoid multiplicity of proceedings.
Reacting to the passage of the Bill, senior advocate Cleofato Almeida Coutinho said, “Validity of the law will be tested by the High Court as and when it is challenged. On Wednesday, the Himachal Pradesh High Court declared that regularisation of encroachments on government land is unconstitutional and directed the HP government to initiate eviction proceedings against all encroachments. Normally such laws are tested in the High Court. If it is constitutionally valid, then it is okay.”
Former MLA Adv Radharao Gracias said, “If the owner has carried out construction on his own land without completing formalities and it is in a settlement area, then regularisation is fair and it is required. But if the construction is not in the settlement area, then regularisation cannot be permitted and it is illegal. When zoning is not proper, then construction cannot be regularised. The Himachal Pradesh High Court has also given a ruling that the government cannot regularise illegal constructions on its land.”
AamAadmi Party (AAP) State president Adv Amit Palekar said, “We had opposed the amendment bill. This bill should not be used to defeat the rights of Goans. Every Goan’s house should be regularised by keeping in mind that it is not for vote politics. Our worry is that the government will collect money like it did in the past, and after polls, the government will be back to square one. The bill should stand the sanctity of constitutional validity and it should not be an election gimmick. The intention of the government is not to help Goans but to play to the gallery.”
The amendment comes in the wake of growing concerns over unauthorised constructions across Goa. While the government claims it will offer relief to genuine homeowners, critics argue that any law which violates planning and zoning norms is unlikely to withstand judicial scrutiny.