Click to play videoGoa: Amending a 100-year-old act, the Goa government has decided to ban the sale of land to foreigners in the state.
More than 300 cases of agricultural property being sold to foreigners have come to light, many of them also cases of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations.
The Goa government has decided to amend a 100-year-old registration act to prevent foreigners from buying land in Goa.
This will empower land registrars to reject applications from foreigners even if they have a RBI clearance.
Goa Law Minister Dayanand Narvekar said, “Government has taken a policy decision to ban foreigners from buying land in Goa. This is a very big decision taken by Goa government. Necessary amendments will be done in the existing act.”
The government decided this after an investigation into about 300 land deals by foreigners, which were against FEMA rules.
The Goa government says it is not a blanket ban, and it does not stop genuine foreign investors.
“If anybody comes with an intention of FDI & if RBI gives clearance for the same then we have given powers to our registrars to verify the documents & admit them,” Narvekar says.
Farmers in Goa have been protesting that foreign tourists are buying up agricultural lands to build resorts and villas.
The amended law would effectively stop foreign tourists from making Goa their homeland.
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