Staff Reporter
Panaji
The state government announced on Tuesday that it will promulgate an ordinance or bring in a bill to regularise ‘irregular’ structures built in private properties.
However, the government has taken a firm stand on the removal of encroached structures on government lands and along roadsides.
The move comes in the wake of recent directives from the High Court of Bombay at Goa on illegal structures.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday chaired second high-powered meeting at Mantralaya, Porvorim after the High Court order against illegal structures. Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, the Chief Minister said the government is contemplating promulgating an ordinance or bringing in a bill to regularise ‘irregular’ structures built in private properties.
“As far as structures along roadsides, on government acquired land, are concerned, we appeal the encroachers to remove them. We will not allow illegal structures on government land,” he warned.
Revenue Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, who also attended the briefing, said that a comprehensive survey will be conducted to identify illegal structures in panchayat and municipal areas.
“The survey findings will become the basis of a report that will be submitted to the High Court for further review. The next course of action will be determined after the High Court’s assessment of the findings. Until then, no demolition orders or actions will be taken by the panchayat or municipal authorities,” Monserrate said.
He also made it clear that no demolitions would be carried out at this stage, emphasising that the authorities must wait for the court’s guidance before proceeding with any enforcement actions.
“Further action will be taken after the High Court’s order,” Monserrate stated.
The survey is expected to begin shortly, with officials urging cooperation from people so as to ensure accurate and timely data
collection.
In a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) concerning illegal constructions and encroachments, the High Court recently issued a series of directions to the state to take immediate action against illegal structures along roadsides, highways, on government land, paddy fields, comunidade land, and tenanted land across Goa.
Stating that “all over the State we find that when people raise illegal constructions it is claimed that the said construction has been existing for long”, the high court in the order said that the solution to this is to get geo-mapping done.
At first the municipal areas shall get geo-mapping done, not only of the municipal areas but also of areas 10 km from the outer boundary, the order said. This can be done by satellite, drones or vehicles.
Once the municipal areas area geo-mapped, the Panchayat areas shall be geo-mapped.“Once the whole State is geo-mapped, it would be easy to control illegal constructions,” the court said
The meeting was also attended by Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho, Chief Secretary Dr V Candavelou, Advocate General Devidas Pangam, MLAs, both district collectors and senior officials.
