NT Reporter
Vasco
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said the state government would place before the Cabinet a proposal to regularise houses in the Goa Housing Board Colony at New Vaddem for a nominal fee of around Rs 10,000, with other charges proposed to be waived.
Sawant was speaking while distributing 120 allotment letters to beneficiaries under the Goa Housing Board scheme. He said 544 allotment letters would be issued in all, with the remaining beneficiaries to receive theirs in phases over the next four months.
“Several families had been shifted to New Vaddem nearly five decades ago and allotted plots measuring around 30, 50 or 100 sqm to build their homes. Though the beneficiaries paid a small amount at the time, many had lost their payment records and government records were also unavailable,” said Sawant.
He said three generations had since grown up in the houses, while the families continued to face uncertainty over their legal ownership.
Rejecting allegations that the government was favouring outsiders, Sawant said the beneficiaries had come to Goa more than 50 years ago for work and had contributed to keeping Vasco and the state clean. “We are all Indians. It is nation first,” he said.
Sawant said the residents had paid municipal taxes, garbage charges, electricity and water bills despite the lack of legal ownership. Godinho said public representatives should work to empower the common man and the poor. He urged Sawant to waive regularisation charges ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh for some beneficiaries and collect only a nominal amount.
