Tag: Panaji

Latest StoriesRegulatory

HC Appoints Officers to Assess Illegal Structures in Goa

PANAJI: The High Court has appointed two nodal officers—the Deputy Director of Municipal Administration and the Extension Officer of the Directorate of Panchayats—to review reports from municipalities and panchayats concerning illegal structures throughout Goa. The appointed officers are tasked with analyzing these reports to ensure compliance with the court’s orders regarding illegal constructions. “The volume of compliance reports from panchayats and municipalities was substantial, prompting the court to seek recommendations for government officers capable of analyzing them. We proposed the Deputy Director of Municipal Administration to assess reports from the CCP and municipalities, and the Extension Officer from the Directorate…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

Rainwater Harvesting Required for Large Buildings in Goa

PANAJI: The Goa government has mandated rooftop rainwater harvesting for large residential, commercial, and government buildings, announced Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar in the legislative assembly on Wednesday. Responding to a question posed by BJP’s Krishna Salkar during the ongoing winter session, Shirodkar stated that his department has been working on post-monsoon water harvesting in rivers, nullahs, and streams by constructing dams and bunds. The department is also advocating for rooftop rainwater harvesting in office complexes, schools, and other institutions, in addition to building rainwater harvesting pits to support groundwater recharge. The minister revealed that the state government officially announced…

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Goa: Town Planning Halts Carambolim Housing Project After Protests

PANAJI: In response to local protests, the town and country planning department issued a show cause notice and stop work order to the Carambolim panchayat on Tuesday. This halts construction of a large housing project that includes residential flats, commercial shops, a swimming pool, and a boundary wall until further notice, as reported by Lisa Monteiro. The department’s notice indicated that during a joint inspection on Monday, villagers raised concerns about the proximity of the proposed building to the existing crematorium, stating it did not comply with regulations. Villagers also highlighted that the planned access roads of 15m and 10m…

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…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

Goa’s Panchayat Courts Swamped by 3,228 Illegal Builds

MARGAO: The state’s panchayat judicial system is currently overwhelmed with over 3,200 illegal construction cases. Experts suggest that this reflects a deliberate undermining of local governance in favor of the construction lobby. Official statistics reveal a staggering 2,179 cases are pending before the additional director of panchayats in North Goa, while another 1,049 cases await attention in South Goa. This brings the total backlog to 3,228 cases. From January 2022 onwards, 436 cases have emerged across various levels of the directorate of panchayats—338 are pending before additional directors’ courts, 86 before deputy directors, and 12 before the director of panchayats…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

ED Raid at Models Group; Members Granted Anticipatory Bail

PANAJI: The Merces court has granted interim anticipatory bail to Natalina Vaz and her children, Nathan and Danira Vaz, involved in a land-grabbing case under investigation by the ED. Senior advocate S. Kantak, alongside advocate P. Talaulikar, informed the court that the FIR was filed around 15 years ago, and at that time, the accused had no connections to the construction company nor were they named in the FIR. They argued that the matter is solely a civil dispute and highlighted that they fully cooperated by providing all requested documentation to the ED. The complaint alleges that in 2004, Fr.…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

NGT Extends Sand Mining Ban in Goa Rivers Until Next Month

Representative AI image PANAJI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has prolonged the ban on sand mining in Goa’s rivers until January 28, 2026. This decision follows an appeal by the Goa River Sand Protection Network against 12 environmental clearances issued by the state. This extension was prompted by a request from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority for additional time to respond during a December 8 hearing. The NGT’s ruling specifies that the “director of mines and geology shall not permit any mining activity in the area in question until the next hearing date.” The Goa River Sand Protection Network…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

ED Seizes 500K+ Sq M of Property in North Goa’s Key Areas

PANAJI: On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Panaji provisionally attached 19 properties covering over five lakh square meters in prime locations across Goa, including Anjuna, Assagao, and Ucassaim. The properties, valued at Rs 1,268.6 crore, were seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, amid an ongoing investigation into alleged land grab activities in the state. “The properties were unlawfully obtained by a group led by Shivshankar Mayekar through the use of forged land title documents, such as ‘aforamento’/allotment certificates, final possession certificates, demarcation certificates, historical sale deeds, gift deeds, and other falsified records,” the ED stated.…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

Goa CZMA: CRZ Structures Must Be Contained for Mundkar Houses

Representative AI image PANAJI: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has mandated the demolition of a house that was illegally expanded in the no-development zone along the Sal river in Velim. The authority referenced the CRZ Notification of 1991, highlighting its ‘doctrine of containment,’ which allows for toleration of existing structures but prohibits any extension beyond their original dimensions. The GCZMA noted that the original structure, a mundkarial house, was no longer intact, having been entirely rebuilt with extensions both horizontally and vertically. They asserted that, due to these modifications, the authority deemed the structure in violation of regulations…

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Goa to Profit from Sale of Comunidade, Housing Board Land

Representative AI image PANAJI: In response to revenue losses from the sale of plots by comunidades and the Goa Housing Board (GHB), the state government has mandated that comunidades execute conveyance deeds at 50% below the minimum land rates and collect stamp duty based on GHB-determined rates. According to under secretary (revenue-I) Vrushika Kauthankar, “For comunidade land, the minimum land values for areas up to 400sqm in S1 to S4 zones will see a 50% reduction.” Revenue Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate stated that comunidades collect ‘foro’ for plots allotted to beneficiaries over 20 years, generating no revenue for the government.…