Goa’s Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill, 2021

Context

The Goa’s Assembly passed the Goa BhumiputraAdhikarini Bill, 2021.

Key features of the Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill, 2021

• The bill recognizes anyone living in the state for 30 years or more as a ‘Bhumiputra (son of the soil)’.
• It gives such a person the right to own his or her ‘small dwelling unit’ if the ownership was undetermined so far.
• The Bill provides for a mechanism to give ownership rights to t self-occupied dwellers of a small housing unit to enable them to live with dignity and self-respect and exercise their right to life.
• A Bhumiputra, an individual can stake claim to ownership of the house of not more than 250 sq m, built before April 1, 2019.
• The Bill provides for the constitution of the Bhumiputra Adhikarini that is a committee consists of the Deputy Collector as its Chairperson and officials from the departments of Town and Country Planning, Forest and Environment, and Mamlatdars of respective talukas as its members.
• The claimant or Bhumiputra does not get the house for free instead declare to be the owner of the dwelling unit occupied by him upon payment of an amount equivalent to the value of land calculated at the market rate.
• An appeal against the Bhumiputra Adhikarini’s decision can be filed before the Administrative Tribunal within 30 days.

Criticism of the bill

• The bill was passed in haste without much discussion by the ruling party.
• It is said that this willamount to giving a premium on illegalities and perpetuate illegalities.
• The bill would recognize encroachments by slum-dwellers that are over 30 years old as Bhumiputras.
• This Bill has opened the floodgates for the migrant population that has been staying in densely populated areas in Goa and has no legality.