TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday informed Goa Assembly that government, through an ordinance, would regularize all the unauthorized houses that were not on government land, but constructed without due authority by September this year. Government is expecting revenue to the tune of Rs 10 crore to 40 crore byway of fees, taxes and penalties.
Parrikar also told the House that about his government’s intention is to revive fuel quota system for each department due to increasing wasteful consumption, which according to him will help in saving revenue of up to Rs two crore annually.
The Chief Minister during Question Hour Thursday morning spelt out various measures the government is considering towards strengthening revenue and additional resources mobilization, along with curtailing of wasteful expenditure. “We are confident that through various measures such as revenue from e-auction of ore, hike in mining royalty, regularization of houses and other small measures, State financial position would be surplus,” he said.
“Situation would be such that by next year we might not even have to rely on borrowings, apart from compulsory borrowings,” Chief Minister told the House while replying to Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane’s question, who demanded a road map from government on how it proposed to reduce the revenue deficit for 2014-15.
“We intend to increase resources without burdening common people,” he added.
Parrikar said that State, through auction of iron ore, would be able to fetch revenue of Rs 1200 crore and another Rs 1000 crore would be garnered after the hike in iron ore royalty to 15 percent. He also informed about the recent Court fees bill passed in the Assembly, under which fees would be charged on income tax appeals, generating revenue of Rs 40-50 lakh.
Chief Minister said that government through an ordinance in September would start the process of regularizing unauthorised houses located in private and comunidade land, provided the occupants are either owners or co-owners or holding any other occupancy rights over the house or is having an irrevocable NOC from the owner.
Government in its Budget 2014-15 had promised to regularize such houses subject to the condition that the house exists before February 28, 2014 with conclusive documentary evidence issued by a government department only.
