RTI in Goa: Form I & XIV Land Records, Electricity Department, and Municipal Bodies

Goa is unusual in virtually every dimension of Indian administrative law, and its land records system is the clearest example of this. While the rest of India operates on records systems descended from the British settlement surveys of the nineteenth century — Khasra, Jamabandi, Patta, Dag — Goa's cadastral system traces its origin to Portuguese colonial administration, preserved intact after Liberation in 1961 and still in use today. The documents are different, the terminology is different, the institutions are different. For anyone filing an RTI application in Goa about property, land, electricity, or planning, understanding these distinctions is not optional — it is the difference between knowing which record to ask for and fumbling through a system that will not respond to requests framed in mainland terminology.

Goa's Unique Land Records System

The Portuguese Inheritance

When the Indian Army liberated Goa in December 1961 and Goa was integrated into India, the new administration chose to retain the Portuguese cadastral system rather than replacing it with the survey systems used in the rest of India. This was a pragmatic decision: the Portuguese records were detailed, organised, and formed the basis of property taxation and title. The Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR) under the Government of Goa became the custodian of these records and continues to maintain and update them.

The result is a system with its own vocabulary that requires careful handling for RTI purposes.

Form I & XIV: The Core Documents

Form I is the ownership record. For a given survey number, Form I shows: the name(s) of the registered owner(s), their share in the holding, the survey number, the taluka and village, and the area of the plot. It is the direct equivalent of the ownership columns of a Jamabandi in other states.

Form XIV is the mutation record — the history of successive transfers and changes in ownership for the survey number. Each time ownership changed (by sale, inheritance, partition, or court decree), a mutation was entered into Form XIV. A complete Form XIV for an old property can be several pages long, tracing ownership across generations.

Together, Form I and Form XIV are commonly referred to as the "Cadastral Form I & XIV" or simply the "Property Card" for a plot. These documents are maintained by the DSLR and are accessible through the Mamlatdar's office at the taluka level.

Survey Number: The basic cadastral identifier in Goa, equivalent to the Khasra number in Punjab/Haryana, the Dag number in Assam, or the survey number in Karnataka. Every plot of land in Goa has a survey number within its village, and all records are indexed primarily by survey number.

Village Cadastral Map: The village-level map maintained by DSLR, showing the boundaries and survey numbers of all plots in the village. Useful when there is a boundary dispute or when the precise location of a survey number needs to be verified on the ground.

The Revenue Administration in Goa

Goa has two administrative districts: North Goa and South Goa. Each district is divided into talukas. The Mamlatdar is the frontline revenue officer at taluka level — the equivalent of the Tehsildar in most other states. The Mamlatdar approves mutations, certifies land records, and handles basic revenue disputes. Above the Mamlatdar is the Deputy Collector, and above that the Collector of the district.

For RTI applications about individual property records (Form I & XIV), the CPIO is typically a designated officer at the relevant Mamlatdar's office or at the DSLR's headquarters. For district-level information or policy matters, the Collector's office is the appropriate CPIO.

Comunidade (Gaunkari) Lands

One of the most distinctive features of Goa's land system is the Comunidade — the traditional village land-holding institution carried over from Portuguese times (where it was called Comunidade Agricola, or agricultural community). In pre-Liberation Goa, each village had a Gaunkari (the Konkani term) or Comunidade: a collective body of hereditary members (called Jonoeiros) who collectively owned the common lands of the village — cultivated land, forests, grazing areas, and other communal resources.

Comunidades still exist in Goa today and are legally recognised under the Goa, Daman and Diu Village Panchayats Act and related legislation. They are administered by a Comissão (committee) and have their own accounts, annual assembly meetings, and records. The Directorate of Accounts supervises their financial records.

Why Comunidade status matters for RTI: A significant proportion of Goa's most valuable real estate — including coastal plots and prime village-edge land — is or was Comunidade land. The transformation of Comunidade land into developable private plots has been one of the most litigated issues in Goa, with disputed mutations, questionable partition proceedings, and questions about whether a Comunidade properly authorised the alienation of its land.

RTI for Comunidade matters:

• Please confirm whether survey number X in village X, taluka X is currently recorded as Comunidade land (Gaunkari land) or as privately-held land in the records of the DSLR.
• Please provide copies of the minutes of the Comunidade meetings for village for the years X to X relating to any decisions on alienation, lease, or conversion of survey number X.
• Please provide the current accounts of the Comunidade of village, including annual income statements for the past three years, as maintained by the Directorate of Accounts or the Mamlatdar.

The relevant CPIO for Comunidade records may be the Mamlatdar (for land record status) or the Directorate of Accounts (for financial records of the Comunidade).

Tenancy: Mundkar Rights

The Goa, Daman and Diu Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1964 provides for agricultural tenancy rights in Goa, including the right of certain cultivating tenants to purchase the land they cultivate.

The Goa Mundkars (Protection from Eviction) Act, 1975 protects a specific category of occupancy — the Mundkar, a person who occupies part of another's house for residential purposes (historically, a domestic worker or dependent resident living in a portion of a landlord's home) — from eviction. Mundkar rights, once registered, give the occupant significant security of tenure and the right of first purchase if the property is sold.

RTI for Mundkar matters: whether a specific tenancy has been registered as a Mundkar tenancy for premises at address/survey number; the documents submitted for Mundkar registration; any proceedings before the Mamlatdar or court regarding eviction of a named Mundkar.

CRZ and Eco-Sensitive Zones

A significant proportion of Goa's coastal land is within the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notified under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and administered by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) at the Central level. Different CRZ classifications (CRZ-I, CRZ-II, CRZ-III, CRZ-IV) have different restrictions on construction and development.

Additionally, some interior areas of Goa are within notified eco-sensitive zones under the Wildlife (Protection) Act or the Forest (Conservation) Act.

RTI for CRZ and eco-sensitive matters is relevant to both developers (seeking to understand restrictions before applying for permissions) and to objectors (seeking to establish that a project violates CRZ or eco-sensitive zone restrictions):

• Please provide certified documentation of whether survey number X in village X, taluka X falls within any notified CRZ classification, and if so, which classification and the basis of the classification.
• Please provide a copy of the CRZ map for the stretch of coastline adjacent to village, taluka X, as maintained by the TCP Department or the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority.
• Please confirm whether survey number X falls within any notified eco-sensitive zone and provide the relevant notification.

CRZ-related RTI applications in Goa may be directed to the TCP (Town and Country Planning) Department of the Government of Goa or to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).

Sample RTI Questions for Land Records

• Please provide a certified copy of Form I for survey number X in village X, taluka X, district X, showing the current registered ownership.
• Please provide a certified copy of Form XIV for survey number X in village X, taluka X showing all mutation entries from the commencement of records to date.
• Please confirm whether survey number X in village X, taluka X is recorded as Comunidade land or private land in the DSLR records. If private, please provide the name of the current registered owner.
• Please provide the mutation history at the Mamlatdar's office for survey number X, village X, taluka X — including the dates of mutation, parties involved, and authority approving.
• Please confirm whether any proceeding for regularisation, partition, or conversion of survey number X from Comunidade to private ownership is pending or has been completed, and provide copies of the relevant orders.

Goa Electricity Department (GED)

Structure and RTI Applicability

Unlike most other Indian states where electricity distribution is handled by a public sector company (DISCOM), Goa's electricity distribution is handled by the Goa Electricity Department (GED) — a department of the Government of Goa itself, not a separate corporate entity. This actually simplifies the RTI analysis: a government department is unambiguously a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act. Second appeals against GED go to the Goa Information Commission (GIC).

The electricity regulator, GERC (Goa Electricity Regulatory Commission), is a statutory body under the Electricity Act, 2003. GERC's tariff orders, licensing decisions, and regulatory proceedings are also accessible via RTI, with second appeals to the GIC.

Common RTI Questions for GED

Goa's electricity billing issues mirror those in other states — estimated bills, disputed arrears, new connection delays — but the department structure means that the CPIO will be a GED official rather than a company officer.

• Please provide copies of all monthly meter reading records for consumer number X for the period month/year to month/year, with confirmation of whether each reading was actual or estimated.
• Please confirm whether any billing period for consumer number X during period was based on estimated or average consumption. If so, provide the methodology and authority for estimation.
• Please provide a copy of the disconnection notice issued to consumer number X on or about date, citing the legal provision relied upon.
• Please provide the current status of new connection application number X submitted on date for premises at address, including the expected date of connection.
• Please provide the details of the fault/complaint registered under complaint number X on date regarding transformer failure in locality, and the current status of repairs.

Municipal and Planning Bodies in Goa

CCP (Corporation of the City of Panaji): The municipal corporation for Goa's state capital. State body → GIC. RTI use cases: building plan approval for premises at survey number/address; property tax assessment basis; trade licence status.

Margao Municipal Council: The municipal body for Goa's largest commercial city. State body → GIC. Similar RTI use cases.

TCP (Town and Country Planning Department): The TCP is the approving authority for development permissions across Goa, including constructions in CRZ areas (in coordination with GCZMA), conversions of agricultural land, and building plan approvals outside municipal limits. It is a state body and one of the most RTI-queried departments in Goa, particularly because development permissions in coastal and semi-urban areas are heavily scrutinised by affected residents and environmental groups. Second appeal to GIC.

RTI to TCP: whether a development permission was granted for construction at survey number X in village X, taluka X, and the conditions attached; whether the permission was obtained before construction commenced or after; the planning zone under which survey number X falls in the Regional Plan for Goa 2021.

GSIDC (Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation): The state infrastructure agency for public works, roads, and buildings. State body → GIC.

Goa RERA: The state RERA authority under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016. State statutory body → GIC. RTI use cases: project registration details for a named developer project; completion date as registered; complaint history.

Central Bodies in Goa: CIC, Not GIC

Several significant bodies operating in Goa are Central Government or Central PSU entities. Second appeals against these go to the Central Information Commission (CIC) in New Delhi.

Mormugao Port Authority: Mormugao is one of India's major ports on the west coast. As a Central statutory body (under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021), it is subject to RTI with CIC as the second appeal forum. RTI use cases for affected communities: port expansion environmental clearances, land acquisition details, compensation for displaced persons.

Goa Shipyard Limited: A Central PSU under the Ministry of Defence. It manufactures and maintains naval vessels. RTI for defence-related operational matters may attract Section 8(1)(a) exemptions, but contractual and procurement-related information is not categorically exempt.

Navy and Coast Guard: Goa has significant naval installations (INS Manohar, INS Hansa at Dabolim). These are Central defence establishments under Section 24 of the RTI Act, which limits RTI in most operational matters. Section 8(2) still permits disclosure of corruption and human rights violation information.

Filing RTI Applications in Goa

State bodies (DSLR, Mamlatdar's Office, Collector's Office, GED, TCP, CCP, Goa RERA, GSIDC): Submit RTI applications to the designated CPIO with the ₹10 fee under the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. Use the Goa state RTI portal if available — verify the current official URL before filing. BPL cardholders are exempt on producing their BPL card.

Central bodies (Mormugao Port, GSL, NIT Goa, Navy): Use the Central Government's rtionline.gov.in portal (verify the current official URL before filing), or send physical applications to the CPIO at the relevant central office.

First Appeal: Must be filed within 30 days of the CPIO's decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable, to the First Appellate Authority in the same organisation.

Second Appeal: To the Goa Information Commission (GIC) for state bodies; to the Central Information Commission (CIC) for central bodies.

Goa's distinctiveness — its Portuguese-origin property records, its Comunidade institutions, its coast-pressured planning system — means that every RTI application here benefits from a clear understanding of which document to ask for, which office holds it, and which commission hears the appeal. The answers to those questions in Goa are frequently different from what would apply anywhere else on the Indian mainland.