PANAJI
The Goa legislative assembly on Thursday passed The Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Bill, 2024, providing to give the government powers to take over possession and ownership of land belonging to people who have left behind no heirs or abandoned lands where ownership is not clear.
The State government also introduced a bill in the Goa legislative assembly which seeks to give finality to all permissions granted by the Chief Town Planner in respect to development of land in the planning areas of Candolim-Calangute and Arpora-Parra-Verla
Before The Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Bill could be passed, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant agreed to make two changes in the law which was pressed for by the Opposition.
The provision in the law which mandated the government to issue notice to invite claims within three months will now be changed to give claimants one year instead of the earlier three months, to stake claim to the land.
The second change Sawant agreed to make was the demand of the Opposition to increase from five years to 10 years the period during which such lands taken over by the government are frozen without being transacted.
TCP VALIDATION Bill: The Goa Town and Country Planning (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2024 was introduced by TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane and amends section 19 of the original TCP Act, to the effect that Outline Development Plans (ODPs) remain valid even if the planning area they pertain to are withdrawn as planning areas.
Another section sought to be inserted through the amendment provides for granting finality to permissions for development granted by the TCP department and curtails the powers of other State authorities to question these permissions under other State laws.
The clause on 'Validation' introduced meanwhile seeks to give validity to all permissions granted and all zoning and conversion reports issued by the TCP department or other statutory authorities under the controversial Candolim-Calangute and Arpora-Nagoa-Parra ODPs several matters of which are sub-judice before the Bombay High Court.
The amendment also seeks to bar jurisdiction of courts by inserting the following sub-section: (i) no suit or other proceeding shall lie or be maintained or continued in any court challenging such approvals/certificates/reports.
The bill is expected to come up for consideration and passage in the House on Monday next.
