Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has reiterated that his government’s beach policy would be finalised a week after the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Chennai submits its report. The stand taken by the government gives us reason to hope that a better and more enjoyable holiday awaits tourists and Goans alike. This stand taken by the government is likely to give beach shack owners nightmares, but there is very little room for manoeuvre now that the case is being monitored by the National Green Tribunal.
On the face of it, the stand taken by the government might seem firm, but would the government have undertaken a study of beach carrying capacity and enforced the findings of that study without the presence of the NGT in the background? We do not believe any government has the spine to implement a decision that could go against shack owners and by extension against potential voters, and certainly not in an election year. But sometimes, given the weaknesses of democracy and the even greater weaknesses of elected representatives, intervention of the court is essential to ensure rule of law, and in this case, protection of a fragile eco-system.
Goa’s beaches are under threat from the government’s policy of encouraging mass tourism. The number of tourists has gone up from approximately 23 lakh in 2005 to around 50 lakh last year. This enormous jump has put considerable pressure on resources, infrastructure and the beaches which are still the main draw. Once the Mopa airport is constructed the figure is expected to jump even further. Ideally, a study of beach carrying capacity should have been undertaken at least three to five years ago when the numbers indicated a steep rise. It took some prodding from the NGT to kick start the process.
According to the UNWTO, the tourism carrying capacity is defined as “the maximum number of people that might visit a tourism destination at the same time without causing destruction of the physical, economic and socio-cultural environment and an unacceptable degree in the quality of visitors’ satisfaction”. This is a fair definition and the study underway by the NCSCM will bring more clarity to the carrying capacity of each beach. It is on the basis of this study that the government hopes to formulate its shack policy which should bring a greater degree of sanity to the chaos that now masquerades as beach tourism.
The number of shacks and their location used to be decided by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority. However, being a government body it was amenable to pressure and therefore, its decision on number of shacks was accepted with a spoon of salt. Now that the government has been forced to adopt a scientific approach to determine the number of shacks, there is hope that Goa’s beaches will breathe again. In a way, the NCSCM, could redefine beach tourism.
