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Foreigners cannot buy land in Goa

Prakash Kamat

Assembly passes amendment to Registration Act unanimously

Registering officers empowered to examine documents
All offshore casinos will strictly be sent away into sea

PANAJI: The Goa Assembly has unanimously passed a Bill amending the Registration Act, 1908 (16 of 1908) to prohibit foreigners from buying land in the State.

On Friday, Law Minister Dayanand Narvekar piloted an amendment to Section 22, which would make “registration of certain documents to be opposed to public policy.”

The amendments would empower registering officers to not only examine documents but also seek any evidence and papers they deem relevant for registration. They are empowered to refuse registration of a document. “Foreigners cannot purchase land in Goa, that is our public policy,” Mr. Narvekar said piloting the Bill on the last day of the brief budget session.

Action on defaulters

Explaining the need for the amendment, Mr. Narvekar said almost all of 482 cases of prima facie violations of land deals by foreigners involved purchases by tourist visa holders, in flagrant violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

“What is worrying is that a lot of unwanted people, including drug traffickers, child traffickers and other elements indulge in land and other deals, flouting all rules and regulations.”

Mr. Narvekar said: “Once the Reserve Bank of India declares the accused violators of its guidelines, our government will step in and take back the land, repaying the money involved.”

When Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar said the amendment might be inadequate to prevent foreigners buying land by taking over registered companies, Mr. Narvekar said: “Just because some people circumvent rules, it does not mean we should not enact rules. Let us first make our policy public through this amendment.”

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said the government would constitute a committee to go into the cases of such companies formed by foreigners.

Casino licences

Home Minister Ravi Naik said the government would soon amend the rules on offshore casino licences to ensure that inland plying licences were not issued except for berthing or temporary anchoring. All offshore casinos would strictly be “sent away into sea.”

He was responding to a calling attention motion tabled by Mr. Parrikar.

As a tourism promotion measure, the State had amended its anti-gambling legislation to allow gaming and casinos to operate in five-star hotels and subsequently even aboard offshore vessels. Incidentally, the first amendment was brought in when Mr. Naik himself was Chief Minister.

Mr. Parrikar expressed apprehension that people were disturbed by reports that the government had given permission to allow casinos on the Mandovi river, where already one gambling facility was operating.

The Home Minister admitted that the previous Congress-led government took a policy decision to allow five offshore casinos.

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