PANAJI
The BJP-led government is set to roll out its ambitious Chief Minister’s Housing Scheme, potentially its last major housing initiative before the State goes to the polls, with eligible Goans to be provided flats on lease rather than outright ownership.
Goa Housing Board (GHB) chairperson Jit Arolkar told The Goan that the scheme is currently in the drafting stage and is likely to be launched around Diwali in November. The government is working on the eligibility criteria, while the Revenue Department has been asked to identify vacant government land across all talukas for construction of new housing complexes. Under the proposed lease model, a beneficiary who subsequently purchases a house of their own will have to vacate the government-provided accommodation, allowing it to be allotted to another eligible applicant. “We have seen instances where people own a government-provided house in a GHB project and at the same time own another private home or flat,” Arolkar said.
He said the decision to provide the houses on lease was also prompted by instances of beneficiaries selling or renting out government-allotted homes. “We have experienced this in the current GHB scheme, where people even rent it out,” he said. Arolkar said the vacant GHB flats would not be used for the new scheme. Instead, the government would provide land to the Housing Board, which would undertake fresh construction of residential complexes comprising single - and double-bedroom flats. Single-bedroom units will be the focus in the first phase, with land expected to be allotted in each taluka.
Applicants are expected to furnish proof of at least 30 years of residence in Goa, with stringent eligibility conditions being framed to ensure that the scheme benefits Goans who genuinely do not own houses. Meanwhile, Arolkar said the GHB currently has around 50 to 100 vacant flats across various talukas, including Bardez, Ponda, Tiswadi, Canacona, Cuncolim, Mormugao and Salcete. These flats will continue to be auctioned separately.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had earlier announced the housing scheme in the Assembly, describing it as a Goa-specific initiative along the lines of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
