A proposal by the Ministry of Environment and Forest to allow beach shacks to remain during the monsoon season might be good for shack owners, but it could, in the long run spell doom for Goa’s beaches and tourism in general. Coastal Zone Regulations require shacks to be dismantled at the end of May and the beaches, by and large, return to their pristine condition during the monsoon period which usually ends in August. This has been the system for decades, but a proposal from the MoEF could change this for the worse.
The shack owners’ associations have welcomed the draft amendment because it would relieve them of the expense of dismantling and rebuilding structures. Of course this saving is based on the assumption that all shacks will survive the onslaught of the monsoons. Some might, but many will suffer partial damage, but shack owners are upbeat about the draft amendment which states, “structures shall not be removed and dismantled during the months of June to August, provided that the facilities in the structures remain non-operational during the months from June to August.”
A provision like this might have worked in a country which has strong governance credentials, not India and certainly not Goa where the government is grappling with how to reduce or demolish illegal constructions and encroachments, but how to legalise them. Illegal constructions proliferate even in CRZ areas and within that sacrosanct stretch from 0 to 100 mts of the high tide line. Even as Goa begins to debate the pros and cons of the draft amendment, an illegal resort is close to completion within 100 meters of the high tide line in Tiracol. So, one can easily imagine what this new amendment will bring.
The problems faced by shack owners in dismantling and constructing the premise every year is understandable, but those rules were made to protect the beach from illegal constructions and shack owners have played by those rules for decades. Business has continued and thrived and despite these strict guidelines there have been encroachments on the beach and this is a cause for worry because government departments and village panchayats have proved to be quite ineffective in tackling this problem.
If the draft amendment is accepted then all shacks will become permanent establishments. Issues like carrying capacity of the beach and allocation of shacks will become meaningless because structures will continue to exist. As time progresses, concrete floors will be laid down. Small masonry walls will be erected and a day will arrive when Goa’s beaches will sport solid brick and mortar structures instead of the traditional shacks.
If the draft amendment is a ploy by the BJP government to gain favour with shack owners, it just might work. But, in the end, Goa will have to play a very high price “ ultimate destruction of its beaches. The process will be slow and gradual and almost unnoticeable and by the time everyone wakes up it will be too late.
The State government is presently engaged in re-drawing the regional plan and there is still no assurance from it that eco-sensitive zones will be protected. Now comes a draft amendment which threatens to upset the delicate ecological balance along the beaches. The pendulum has swung to the other side and the chief minister or Union defence minister must intervene to restore the balance between development and environment so that the long term interests of the State and its people are not sacrificed on the altar of short-term gains.
