Fourteen years after the 2011 Census classified parts of Panaji, Margao, and Mormugao as slums, the Goa government has yet to notify them officially. The administrative delay has blocked thousands of residents from accessing housing upgrades, basic civic services, and national welfare schemes—leaving a critical policy vacuum in Goa’s urban development and deepening inequities in essential infrastructure access.
Despite being listed as slum areas in the 2011 Census, these settlements remain unrecognised in the State’s official records. This lack of formal notification has paralyzed any move towards urban rehabilitation. Without the legal tag of a “notified slum,” city and municipal agencies remain unable to implement housing upgrades, social welfare schemes, or basic infrastructure investments for these vulnerable communities.
Officials cite policy ambiguity and inter-departmental delays for the inaction. A senior source noted that without formal notification, proposals for redevelopment or central housing schemes like PMAY cannot proceed. The bureaucratic vacuum has turned the affected areas into legal grey zones, where the government neither provides services nor offers a timeline for future inclusion into mainstream urban development.
The issue is further compounded by the indefinite postponement of the 2021 Census, now expected only by 2027. Authorities indicate that fresh data from the new Census is being treated as a prerequisite for initiating any rehabilitation. Until then, thousands of families living in informal settlements must wait—excluded from national and state schemes designed to improve housing and basic amenities.
Urban policy experts and civil society groups have criticised the inaction, urging the state government to commission independent surveys and offer temporary recognition to ensure residents receive at least basic amenities. They argue that waiting for the 2027 Census exacerbates housing insecurity, perpetuates inequality, and contradicts national urban renewal goals that seek to improve lives in India’s underserved settlements.
Goa’s prolonged delay in slum notification for Panaji, Margao, and Mormugao reflects a deeper governance failure to address urban poverty. With thousands of families left without legal recognition or welfare access, the State risks widening the gap in equitable urban development. Until policy action is taken, residents in these census-identified slums remain trapped in limbo.
