PANAJI
The Goa Legislative Assembly on Friday passed the Goa Jan Vishwas (Laws Amendment) Act, 2026, a legislation aimed at decriminalising minor offences and rationalising penalties across several State laws amidst protests by the entire Opposition which rushed to the well of the House at the time of its passage.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, piloting the legislation, claimed that the move is part of a broader push towards trust-based governance and improving ease of living and doing business in the State.
Opposition legislators, including Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Vijai Sardesai, raised suspicion that the retrospective effect being given to this legislation to December 2, 2026, is to let off the hook officials and others who may be accountable for the Birch by Romeo Lane fire tragedy.
Sawant however sternly denied the allegation, saying the fire tragedy case is being investigated and those involved are being prosecuted under criminal laws and this Jan Vishwas Act has nothing to do with it.
The Act, which comes into effect retrospectively from December 2, 2025, replaces the Goa Jan Vishwas Ordinance, 2025 and introduces sweeping changes in laws ranging from excise and waste management to municipal governance and land revenue.
Under the new framework, imprisonment provisions for minor violations have largely been replaced with monetary penalties, which will be revised upward by 10 per cent every three years.
Among the key amendments, the Goa Excise Duty Act, 1964 now prescribes penalties up to ₹1 lakh for contraventions, while the Goa Waste Management Act, 2016 imposes fines of not less than ₹50,000 for illegal construction and up to ₹10 lakh for misuse of land. The Goa Fire Force Act, 1986 has done away with jail terms, substituting them with fines equivalent to six months’ pay of the concerned member.
Municipal laws have also been tightened, with penalties for illegal construction, encroachment, and public nuisance raised significantly, in some cases up to ₹1 lakh.
The government said the legislation is designed to reduce harassment of citizens and businesses over minor infractions while ensuring accountability through higher financial deterrents. Officials added that the Act aligns Goa with national reforms under the Jan Vishwas initiative, which seeks to modernise governance by shifting from criminal prosecution to civil penalties.
