State Act

The Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968

37. Removal of encroachments on land vesting in 54[Central Government or Government]; provisions for penalty and other incidental matters.— (1) In the event of any encroachment being made on any land vested in the 55[Central Government or Government] (whether or not in charge of any local authority), it shall be lawful for the Collector to summarily abate or remove any such encroachment and the expenses incurred therefor shall be leviable from the person in occupation of the land encroached upon and the person who is responsible for the encroachment. 56[(2) The person who made such encroachment, or who is in unauthorised occupation of the land so encroached upon shall pay, if the land encroached upon forms part of an assessed survey number, the assessment for the entire number for the whole period of the encroachment; and if the land has not been assessed, such amount of assessment as would be leviable for the said period in the same village on the same extent of similar land used for the same purpose. Such person shall, in addition, be liable to a penalty which shall not be less than five hundred rupees but not more than five thousand rupees if the land is used for an agricultural purpose, and if used for a purpose other than agriculture, to a penalty not exceeding twenty thousand rupees.]; The Collector may, by notice duly served under the provisions of this Code, prohibit or require the abatement or removal of encroachments on any such lands, and shall fix in such notice a date which shall be a reasonable time after such notice, on which the same shall take effect. 57[(4) Every person who makes, causes, permits or continues any encroachment on any land referred to in a notice issued under subsection (3), shall, in addition to the penalties specified in sub-section (2), be liable, at the discretion of the Collector, to a penalty not exceeding five thousand rupees in the case of encroachment for agricultural purposes and five hundred rupees in other cases, for every day or part of a day during which the encroachment continues after the date on which the notice takes effect.] An order passed by the Collector under this section shall be subject to appeal and revision in accordance with the provisions of this Code. Nothing contained in sub-sections (1) to (4) shall prevent any person from establishing his rights in a civil court within a period of one year from the date of the final order under this Code.