Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the Goa government will soon announce the Chief Minister’s Housing Scheme, under which existing vacant flats of the Goa Housing Board will be made available to eligible Niz Goemkar applicants in the first phase.

The announcement came alongside a series of measures related to the government’s Mhaje Ghar Scheme, aimed at providing relief to eligible homeowners facing difficulties due to land-use and zoning classifications.

Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate said unauthorised residential structures in coastal and CRZ areas that existed before 1991 would be considered for regularisation under the Mhaje Ghar Scheme. However, structures located within No Development Zones (NDZ) would not be covered.

Sawant clarified that houses under the Mhaje Ghar Scheme located in settlement zones as per Regional Plan 2021 would be regularised, irrespective of any subsequent zone change after February 2014.

He further said houses built before 1972 on settlement land but currently falling under No Development Areas (NDA) would be removed from the NDA classification.

The Chief Minister was responding to concerns raised by GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai, who questioned sudden changes in land zoning and their impact on applicants seeking regularisation.

The government has also appointed Mamlatdars as nodal officers for implementing the Mhaje Ghar Scheme. Sawant said the move would help streamline the process and ensure that the maximum number of applications are cleared at the earliest.

Describing Mhaje Ghar and Swayampurna Goem as among the initiatives that have given him the most satisfaction as Chief Minister, Sawant said the government would continue efforts to ensure that eligible Goans receive the benefits of its housing and regularisation initiatives.