‘Resentment’ over outsiders buying land: Goa minister says don’t sell to non-Goans

Panaji: Aleixo Sequeira, the minister of the environment for Goa, stated on Monday that there is resentment among Goans over land being purchased by non-Goans and recommended that "Goans should stop selling land to non-Goans." Additionally, he said that there was a "big hue and cry" regarding ministers requesting and receiving "corrections" in land use laws.

In an interview to a regional channel, Sequeira said, “Regarding land, there are various issues. The first issue is… who is selling land to the non-Goans? Isn’t it Goans? Otherwise, are the non-Goans coming and forcing you to sell? We are being offered tempting prices and that is why, sometimes, we succumb.”

According to him, outsiders are paying more for real estate in the state of Goa. “…many times, it is circumstances that force us to sell our properties. And who offers more? It is the non-Goan. But the truth is we are selling,” he said, Indian Express reported.

“There is a lot of resentment because land is being bought by non-Goans. My answer to that is we, Goans, should stop selling land to non-Goans. If we don’t sell our land to non-Goans, that issue comes under control,” he said.

He also acknowledged that “it is wrong for me to talk of Goan/non-Goan”. “At the end of the day, we are all Indians. But since it is an issue, I am talking about it,” he said.

Sequeira addressed the topic of land-zone modifications, which has drawn criticism for the state government in recent weeks. He stated that land-use adjustments are an ongoing process that have happened under prior administrations as well.

“It is not something new. Earlier also, the governments definitely have changed land use…,” he said, adding, “If I have understood correctly the process, the government assesses the need for changing zones, and based on that it changes the zones.”

On September 9, the Indian Express stated that two Goa ministers, including Sequeira, as well as lawmakers from other parties and several Goa real estate corporations, were suspected beneficiaries of a contentious land use change (section 17(2) of TCP Act).

According to the Express, the TCP department has granted changes in land use for at least 20 lakh sq m of land in the last 18 months, transforming "green zones" into "settlements" and permitting construction activities for both residential and commercial reasons, hence increasing the land's worth significantly.

“…I will give you my own case. In the regional plan 2001, I had a property in Colva, over 1,500 sq m in size. It is part of my hotel project. Suddenly…this settlement property was changed to an orchard. I had a property in Nuvem. Around 4,000 sq m of that property was also settled. Again, in the regional plan 2001, it was changed to an orchard,” he said.

In 2018, the TCP Act was amended by adding section 16B, allowing anyone to request, on a case-to-case basis, a change of zone in the regional plan from the chief town planner.

“When 16B came…, I found out that I was eligible for this correction, so I applied. I paid all the fees. It was notified,” Sequeira said.

However, in 2022, the government declared that all recommendations under Section 16B would be withdrawn, and the section was later removed. In March 2023, the government amended the TCP Act to include section 17(2), which allows plot conversion without public consultation if the owner approaches the department with a request to "correct inadvertent errors" or "rectify inconsistent/incoherent zoning" in the regional plan 2021.

Sequeira said, “The government, subsequently, in its wisdom, brought section 17(2). I was told that section 16B is invalid. Again, I applied, but there is a big hue and cry as to why the ministers are doing that. You tell me – I am a married man, I have a family – is it not my right to protect my family?”