Panaji, Jan 8: Prolonged delays in the disposal of appeals against demolition orders by the Goa Department of Panchayats have allowed illegal structures to remain standing for years, raising serious concerns about governance and public safety, according to data tabled in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Statistics revealed in a reply to Starred Legislative Assembly Question (LAQ) No. 08A, raised by Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, show that 186 appeals against demolition orders were filed in South Goa in 2018. Of these, only 69 were settled in 2022, indicating delays of nearly four years.
A similar pattern has emerged in North Goa. Of the 184 appeals filed in 2018, just 37 were settled around 2022, again reflecting delays of about four years. During this period in South Goa, only 14 appeals were disposed of and 19 were fixed for orders, while the remaining cases remained pending at various stages of adjudication.
Data for North Goa provides a detailed breakdown: of the 184 appeals filed in 2018, 37 were allowed and settled, 23 were dismissed, and 103 were fixed for return arguments, with the rest still moving slowly through the quasi-judicial process.
The prolonged delays have drawn sharp criticism, with opponents linking them to major tragedies, including the Birch by Romeo Lane incident, which claimed 25 lives.
“It is obvious that such delays are deliberate and that political patronage plays a huge role,” Alemao said. “I had raised the issue of a hall in Paroda in the Assembly, and it has been functioning for over a year with a demolition order hanging over it.”
Former Sarzora sarpanch and senior Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) member Sabita Mascarenhas said the delays undermine the spirit of the Panchayat Raj system.
“Justice delayed is justice denied, and here the delay appears to be for personal gain,” she said. “Files that are not cleared by panchayats are cleared by higher authorities, making a mockery of the Panchayat Raj Act.”
Architect Tahir Noronha pointed to gaps between official figures and ground-level enforcement. “Assembly data shows that actual demolitions on the ground are barely 10 per cent of what the official numbers suggest,” he said. “Bodies created to expedite justice have instead become a reason illegal structures survive.”
Concerns have also been raised over recent amendments to the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, which grant enhanced powers to Panchayat secretaries and Block Development Officers (BDOs).
Amendments notified on March 14, 2023, and October 1, 2025, allow these officials to issue permissions or occupancy certificates if panchayats fail to do so within seven days.
Several sarpanchas in South Goa have questioned the rationale behind these changes. In a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Rachol village panchayat sarpanch Joseph P. Vaz warned that the amendments effectively bypass elected panchayats.
Citing a 2012 Supreme Court judgment (VP Calangute vs State of Goa), Vaz said the reduction of the decision period from 30 days to seven days undermines the constitutional authority of panchayats and urged the government to withdraw or keep the amendments in abeyance.
Noronha attributed the problem largely to administrative inertia within the Department of Panchayats. “Quasi-judicial authorities, especially the Director of Panchayats, were empowered to speed up justice and reduce the burden on courts, but the delays have only worsened,” he said.
He added that decisions are often taken by officers without a legal background, leading to inconsistencies.
Referring to the Old Goa bungalow case, Noronha said a valid demolition order issued by a panchayat was stayed at the first hearing in February 2022 and remains unresolved. “The demolition order continues to be on hold, benefiting the violators,” he said.
Assembly data and field-level accounts together point to systemic delays that critics say have enabled prolonged illegality, undermining planning laws and posing serious risks to public safety in Goa.
