Amid protests by opposition MLAs, the Goa Legislative Assembly passed the Goa Jan Vishwas (Laws Amendment) Bill, 2026 during the recently concluded winter session. The Bill seeks to decriminalise “minor offences” such as illegal constructions, land misuse in waste management areas, encroachments and obstruction of public spaces. Under the Bill, provisions involving imprisonment for specified acts will be replaced with fines. The idea is to allow enforcement to focus on serious crimes while still imposing graded penalties for lesser violations. While the technical language in the Bill treats these as “minor offences”, the ground reality in Goa is that such issues are not seen as trivial by many citizens and civil society groups.
Illegal constructions, encroachments on road widening areas, and misuse of public and ecologically sensitive land have long been contentious issues for residents and activists. Rampant illegal constructions and encroachments need decisive action to protect Goa’s fragile ecosystem, open spaces, paddy fields and critical public land from being taken over unlawfully. Encroachments and illegal constructions are serious breaches of planning and environmental law and cannot be treated as minor lapses. Reducing these offences to fines can weaken deterrence. Often, fines alone do not stop repeat violations, raising concern that financially strong offenders may continue illegal activities after paying penalties.
