NT Reporter
Panaji
Allaying fears over the survey being conducted under the National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations (NAKSHA), the state government on Saturday clarified that the survey is being carried out on pilot basis to create land records in urban areas, bring in transparency, reduce land disputes, ensure better urban planning and not for taking over properties that are abandoned or of people living abroad, among others.
The government has urged the citizens to cooperate in carrying out the survey and not to fall prey to any false propaganda.
Following viral videos creating fears among people over the NAKSHA survey and Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Act 2024, North Goa Collector Ankit Yadav said that both are separate, distinct and independent exercises and not linked to each other.
“Regarding the Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Act 2024, recently various social media videos have been surfacing that the government can legally take over your property even if it is abandoned or if there are any legal disputes or if the inventories are not filed or if the owners are living abroad. As a result, the Act is being portrayed in a misleading, incorrect and alarmist manner,” he said.
He said that the land records in India suffer from fragmentation and the data sometimes is outdated and coordination by multiple agencies is also not there and hence the central government under the Digital India land records modernisation programme launched a pilot programme called NAKSHA.
Director of Settlement and Land Records Chandrakant Shetkar said that in Goa the survey will be conducted in three municipal areas of Panaji and nine surrounding peri-urban areas, Margao and surrounding six areas, and Cuncolim and three surrounding areas.
“Fears are being created in the minds of the people that rural areas which we have been taken up for survey will be converted to urban areas. Rural areas were added in the survey as the urban areas were not fitting in the minimum population criterion,” he said, adding that the data collected will help in better urban planning, efficient disaster management, improve municipal services and prevent encroachment in government and comunidade properties, among others.
“The data will be kept open for objections and suggestions from the public and after conducting the hearing and with peoples’ consent the data will be finalised. This is a pilot project and the data collected will remain in isolation; there will be no changes in the original survey records. The people should cooperate with the survey and not fall prey to any false propaganda,” he said.
Additional Collector Gurudas Desai said that in order to protect the interest and land of Goans who are not residing in Goa, but their ancestral properties are located in Goa and also those whose legal heirs are not traceable, the government has come out with Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Act, 2024.
“The Act does not provide for automatic or blanket takeover of private properties based on the broad categories projected in the video. The concept of escheat, forfeiture and bona vacantia operates only upon satisfaction of strict legal conditions, such as intestate death without legal heirs, or absence of any rightful claimant, and not merely due to pending disputes or procedural formalities,” he said.
Desai clarified that even in cases of abandoned property or unclaimed articles, the Act prescribes a detailed statutory procedure, including inquiry, publication of notices, opportunity for claims or objections, and prescribed waiting periods before any vesting or forfeiture can occur.
“The Act clearly defines the competent authorities empowered to act under various chapters and does not permit arbitrary or informal action. The statute incorporates multiple safeguards, including remedies, appeal provisions, and defined timelines or deadlines, which are completely omitted or suppressed in the circulated content,” he said.
