PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday chaired a key meeting with senior officials to ensure the smooth rollout of the State’s ambitious Mhaje Ghar scheme, which will begin issuing forms from Monday, October 13.
Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate, deputy collectors, mamlatdars and communidade administrators attended the meeting, where they were briefed in detail about the scheme and its procedures.
The Mhaje Ghar scheme, officially launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on October 4, aims to regularise unauthorised houses built on government or communidade land.
To facilitate this, the government has amended the Goa Legislative Diploma, the Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Act, 2025, and the Goa Regularisation of Unauthorised Construction Act. These three laws provide the legal framework to regulate and streamline the process of regularising certain categories of unauthorised houses across the State.
Applicants must submit supporting documents such as water or electricity bills, house tax receipts, Aadhaar card or passport, ration card, election card, or bank passbook. The documents must show that the house existed before February 28, 2014. According to the government’s notification, once regularised, the property cannot be sold or transferred for 20 years from the date of regularisation. Even after 20 years, any sale or transfer will require government approval.
The government has also fixed minimum land rates for encroachers. Houses existing before 1972 and recorded in survey records will be charged a flat rate of Rs 25 per sq. m, regardless of circle rates. Houses built between 1973 and 1986 will be charged 50% of the 2014 circle rate. Those constructed between 1987 and 2000 will pay 75% of the circle rate, while houses built between 2001 and 2014 will be charged the full circle rate. In cases of encroachment on communidade land, a 20% penalty on the total plot value will also apply.
