Panaji: State govt has decided to launch a chief minister’s housing scheme to provide affordable homes to Goans who do not have one. Goa Housing Board (GHB) chairperson Jit Arolkar told TOI that the new scheme will be launched during Diwali.He said the board will finalise eligibility criteria and that homes will be provided on lease rather than through outright purchase. If allottees later buy houses on their own, they will have to vacate the leased homes so these can be given to the next eligible person, he said.The GHB plans to roll out the scheme across all talukas in the state, Arolkar said, with the first houses to be made available in the Pernem taluka. He said applicants will need to submit proof of at least 30 years’ residence in Goa. “We want to set stringent criteria to avail a house under the scheme so that only original Goans currently living without homes get one,” Arolkar said.Arolkar said the govt has noticed that many people live in ancestral houses while facing family disputes. He said the scheme is expected to help such people get a separate home and live peacefully until they can purchase a house of their own.He also flagged the risk of misuse if ownership is transferred to beneficiaries, noting that some beneficiaries could sell the homes after a few years to profit.During the last monsoon session of the legislative assembly, chief minister Pramod Sawant said state govt would introduce a new housing scheme for the homeless in Goa. Sawant said the scheme would be similar to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, but Goa-specific. He also said two patches of govt land in Pernem have been identified for the project, where the state will construct 1BHK flats.Separately, the GHB has decided that all upcoming residential and commercial projects will be taken up through joint ventures to ensure quality construction for Goans. Under this model, the GHB will design the properties and rope in private players to execute the projects on a sharing basis. The board will use the revenue generated to buy new properties in Goa for future development.
