Goa Assembly Approves Bill to Legalize Unauthorized Structures on Government Land

Goa Assembly Passes Landmark Legislation

The Goa Assembly has successfully passed the Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill 2025, which aims to regularize unauthorized constructions on government land established before February 28, 2014.

Presented by Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate on Thursday, the bill introduces a new section '38A' to the Goa Land Revenue Code of 1968, granting the sub-divisional magistrate the authority to legalize such encroachments.

This legislation was approved amidst opposition debates, with concerns raised that it may disproportionately benefit non-Goans. According to the bill, the regularization of any structure will be contingent upon the payment of an occupancy fee, which will be separately notified by the government.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the assembly, 'This applies solely to landless residents of Goa who have been living in the state for at least 15 years prior to the specified date and do not possess any other land, house, flat, or property as an ancestral share.'