the goan I network
CANACONA
Several illegal tourism structures were razed in a mass demolition drive at Agonda beach on Wednesday.
According to officials present for the demolition drive, hundreds of illegal tourism structures belonging to 47 different parties were to be demolished in the drive.
About 22 illegal structures belonging to 13 different parties were completely razed in a day-long drive on Wednesday.
Finding stiff resistance from some quarters, some of the structures were grounded as late as 7.30 pm on Wednesday night. The demolitions will resume at 8.30 am on Thursday.
Four of the parties having several structures could produce court stays, some for a maximum of 3 months, added sources.
Present at the demolition drive were GCZMA officials and a surveyor.
Dy Collector (Quepem) Kadam holding additional charge of Canacona SDO along with Canacona Mamlatdar Raghuraj Phaldessai, Joint Mamlatdar John, besides Ramesh Gaonkar were also present as magisterial team while 4 different PIs including Canacona PI Tukaram Chawan, and 4 PSIs were present to provide security cover with a strong presence of 200 policemen.
Also present was Agonda Panchayat Secretary Sushant Lolayekar, and other talathis of Canacona taluka.
There was much discontent amongst the tourism stakeholders as several complained of non-compliance of GCZMA orders mostly by non-residents as the cause of major problems to the village.
“Most non-residents did no followed GCZMA directives to demolish their structures and even commenced the new season with little care for the law of the land. This has caused problems to everybody in the village time and again resulting in demolition drives like this,” shouted an angry resident.
