Govt introduces new bill on leave & licence

Panaji: After failing to get the President’s assent, Goa govt on Monday withdrew the Goa Buildings (Lease, Rent and Eviction) Control (Amendment) Bill, 2022 from the Goa legislative assembly and introduced a fresh bill without provisions which override the central laws.

The new bill is introduced to provide grant of premises on agreement of leave and licence and it also seeks to carry out consequential amendments to section 2 to facilitate and encourage landlords to give buildings on a leave and licence basis. The bill also seeks to amend section 54 of the act to decriminalise provisions of imprisonment in the section.

The earlier bill stated that any licensee who fails to vacate a building given to them by the landlord on a leave and licence basis, on expiry of the agreement period, if convicted will be imprisoned up to three months or be slapped with a fine not exceeding Rs1 lakh, or both.

Section 53A of the bill said that the contract of the lease, and the agreement of leave and licence had to be compulsorily registered. “The proposed section 53A of the bill had an overriding effect on the other central acts. The bill was introduced in the Goa legislative assembly on July 22, 2022,” the earlier bill stated.

“However the Presidential assent is pending for the bill, on account of the overriding provisions over two central legislations. In spite of repeated follow-ups and clarifications given, the Presidential assent could not be obtained.” Officials said that in such circumstances govt decided to withdraw the bill.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.