The Goa tourism department informed the High Court that 23 bore wells have been illegally dug by shack owners along the Candolim beach belt besides erecting soak pits. The shacks have been drawing water from these bore wells as a matter of convenience despite knowing the fact that they are violating the Goa Ground Water Regulation Act 2002 and Rules 2003. Moreover, the violations are carried out in an ecologically sensitive zone outlined in the CRZ notification.
That 23 bore wells and soak pits were identified at Candolim beach alone explains the lawlessness prevailing along the shores. The 23 shack owners are expected to be served notices for this illegality, but there are several questions that arise out of this situation.
The unfortunate part is that rampant illegalities are going unchecked along the coast, despite having a full-fledged system of checks and balances on paper. The system is clearly failing here. The Tourism Department, Water Resource Department, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, Health Department, Fire Department, Pollution Control Board and others are involved in the process of commercial licensing. But the surprising part is that loopholes in the system continue to be exploited.
We cannot fathom a situation where no authority could detect these bore wells and soak pits while they were being dug. 'See no evil' continues to be the policy of authorities who have been blatantly turning a blind eye to illegalities till some Good Samaritan knocks on the door of courts out of sheer helplessness. The sound violation was another such case.
The State has a shack policy in place that stipulates the number of beach beds, tables and other equipment for each shack. A casual glance at the tourism hotspots like Anjuna, Calangute, Candolim, Colva, Benaulim and a few others have beach beds far in excess, restricting the free movement of tourists along the coast. The crackdown at Anjuna on Thursday is a testimony of this.
There was an uproar over sound violation, but it died off even before it started. Parties continue to happen at high decibels, and they go well into overtime. So is the case with drinking alcohol on beaches or vehicles zooming on the coast. It is sad that in the name of tourism, rules have been trampled upon with impunity, and the government machinery appears to be only waking up to the court's call, albeit half-heartedly.
As much as there is a call for taking tourism to a new high, there is also a need to cleanse it from the evils. Tapping illegally into groundwater, stealing electricity, and not providing garbage disposal systems, not maintaining hygiene are aspects that have been perennially overlooked.
The tourism department has accepted in court that it will act immediately against violators and send notices before taking action. It must also ensure that such illegalities are not business as usual in other parts of the State. There is a lot of cleaning up to do in tourism, and the seriousness of cracking down on illegalities and violations is not showing on the ground.
