PANAJI: State cabinet on Monday approved the ‘Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961 (Amendment) Ordinance 2024’, which is aimed at preventing the utilisation of comunidade land for any objective apart from the one for which it has been allotted.
CM Pramod Sawant said that there have been several instances where land granted, sold or allocated by the comunidade for a specific purpose, whether through sale, lease, emphyteusis, or leave and licence, as per the provisions of the code, has been used for other than the specified purpose.
“To address this issue and protect comunidade land, as well as to ensure its use aligns with the purpose for which it is granted, an amendment to the Goa Legislative Diploma has been proposed,” he said.
The CM said that the amendment will introduce ‘Article 31-A’, which will debar a grantee, purchaser, or licencee of comunidade land from altering the use of the land and using it for purposes other than for which it was originally granted.
He said the amendment empowers the administrator of comunidades to investigate such violations and issue orders for the reversion of land in favour of the comunidade in cases of unauthorised use.
“Change of land use will not be allowed. If the land has been given to any individual or department for house, education, industry, govt project, etc, it will have to be used for that purpose only. It cannot be used for any other purpose in any circumstances,” the CM said.
Sawant made it clear that no authority or organisation will have the power to grant approvals or clearances that would allow deviation from the original purpose of the land. This includes the town and country planning department, planning and development authority and local bodies.
