Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Oct 1: The Goa cabinet on Tuesday approved the 2014 notified circle rates as the base for calculating land costs to be paid by beneficiaries seeking regularisation of their houses built on government and comunidade land across the State.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who chaired the cabinet meeting, said the decision provides a structured fee slab depending on when the houses were built. Houses existing prior to 1972 and reflected in survey maps of that year will be charged at a flat rate of Rs 25 per sq. m., irrespective of circle rates.

For houses constructed between 1973 and 1986, 50% of the 2014 circle rate will be applicable. Those built between 1987 and 2000 will be charged at 75% of the circle rate, while homes constructed between 2001 and 2014 will attract the full circle rate. The costs will apply to land up to 300 sq. m. on which the structure stands, Sawant clarified.

The move follows amendments to the Land Revenue Code and Code of Comunidades passed during the monsoon session of the assembly, enabling the State government to grant Class I Occupancy rights to owners of illegal houses on government and comunidade lands. The beneficiaries will be required to pay for the land equivalent to the plinth area plus a small margin not exceeding 300 sq. m. Any excess land beyond this will be forfeited to the government or respective comunidade.

In cases of encroachment on comunidade land, the cabinet has also approved a 20% penalty on the total plot value, with the amount to be directly deposited into the concerned comunidade. Beneficiaries will further need to obtain an NOC from the comunidade managing committee, though the law empowers the Administrator to adjudicate and declare the NOC as deemed granted if disputes arise.

Sawant added that applications under the Mhaje Ghar scheme must be submitted within six months of its launch. The government will also regularise homes on evacuee properties in Mayem, lands under the Forest Rights Act, the 20-point programme, and Alvara and Mokaso lands.

In another decision, the cabinet approved full ownership transfer of tenements allotted to families displaced by the four-lane NH 17B project, landslides, and fire victims at Sada and Katem-Baina in Mormugao, as well as those in Chimbel. Beneficiaries will only need to pay Rs 1,000 per house to secure ownership rights.

The move is expected to benefit around 400 families, some of whom have been awaiting ownership since as far back as 1990.