Latest StoriesResidential

300+ Homes Regularized Under Goa’s Mhaje Ghar Scheme

PANAJI: The state government has regularized 300 illegal houses built on government, comunidade, and private land under the Mhaje Ghar scheme. Officials are urging residents who have not yet applied for house regularization to do so. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant mentioned that over 10,000 applications are currently pending, and sanads will be issued to homeowners as soon as possible. Sawant encouraged those with concerns to step forward and submit applications for the regularization of their homes, following the issuance of sanads to 300 owners. In October 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Majhe Ghar scheme aimed at regularizing…

Latest StoriesResidential

Goa CM: Over 5,000 Applications for Majhe Ghar Scheme

PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced on Wednesday that over 5,000 applications have been approved under the Majhe Ghar scheme, with approximately 3,000 orders ready for distribution to homeowners. On Thursday, 1,000 orders will be delivered in Margao at Ravindra Bhavan, catering to house owners in South Goa. According to Sawant, more than 95% of houses located on government land are owned by Goans. He reiterated that the state government will not permit the construction of illegal houses by migrants. “My government is against illegal construction in Goa. We have revised the process to prevent such structures,” the CM stated.…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

Consumer Commission Orders Aditya Builders to Finalize Sale Deed

PANAJI: The North Goa District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has instructed a construction firm to execute a deed of sale within two months for a flat bought by a couple from Margao in 2004, for which they paid the full price. If the construction firm fails to adhere to this order within the specified timeframe, the consumers have the right to get the sale executed through the commission. According to the law, the firm was obliged to register the sale deed within 18 months after the building’s construction, but it did not do so. This prompted the complainants, Santosh Joshi…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

Goa to Launch Land Survey 50 Years After Last One

PANAJI: Over 50 years after the state’s inaugural land survey in 1972, the government is set to initiate a new land survey this month aimed at updating land records and issuing urban property cards (UrPro) to landowners. The survey will begin in three municipal areas, including the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), and the Margao and Cuncolim municipal councils. Unlike the first manual survey, this will utilize digital tools. The Goa (National Geospatial Knowledge Based) Land Survey of Urban Habitations Rules, 2025, has been established to facilitate this initiative. Under Secretary (Revenue-I) Vrushika Kauthankar stated, “When a land…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

HC Issues Notice to Goa’s Planning Dept on Building Rule Changes

PANAJI: The Bombay High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department and its scrutiny committee regarding amendments to the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010. These changes enable the Goa government to approve applications for relaxations on height and floor area ratio (FAR) restrictions, diverging from the current standards outlined in the regulations. The division bench comprising Justices Bharti Dangre and Ashish S. Chavan issued the notice in response to a petition from the Goa Foundation and residents from Margao, Panaji, Chimbel, and Pernem. The petition challenges the building relaxations granted to…

Latest StoriesResidential

Margao House Tax Soars 300% with New Council Method

MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has introduced a new capital value method for calculating house taxes, resulting in over a 300% hike for new residential and commercial properties. The transition to this new formula was prompted by a directive from the Directorate of Municipal Administration and formalized through a council resolution on January 3, according to MMC sources. This method significantly increases the tax burden on new property owners. For instance, the annual house tax for a 100sqm residential flat has surged from Rs 2,000 under the previous system to Rs 6,600 under the new capital value method—marking a…

IndustryLatest Stories

Two Unsafe Margao Buildings to Be Demolished After Delay

After significant delays and legal hurdles, the demolition of the unsafe ‘Cabecca de Calconde’ building in Margao is on the horizon. This follows an order from the collector due to public safety concerns. The Public Works Department (PWD) has identified potential agencies for the demolition, which awaits the final evacuation of occupants and the resolution of a high court issue. However, there are ongoing concerns regarding potential redevelopment plans once the demolition is completed.

InfrastructureLatest Stories

Start of Structural Study on Margao’s Unsafe Buildings

MARGAO: After weeks of delays amidst growing public safety concerns, authorities have begun the long-awaited structural assessment of 22 unsafe buildings in Margao. Acting on the directive of South Goa collector Egna Cleetus, a team from Goa College of Engineering (GEC) conducted inspections of four buildings this week. This action follows nearly a month after Cleetus issued urgent orders for immediate measures after several building collapses were reported in Margao. Specifically, the collector instructed the public works department (PWD) to secure structural stability assessments from GEC within a week, as the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) cited budgetary constraints as an…