the goan I network
CANACONA
The GCZMA-directed demolition squad brought down 18 more tourism structures of 3 tourism operators on Thursday, while around 26 stakeholders brought down several structures on their own,
even as the authorities declared the demolition exercise completed.
According to sources in the demolition squad, 18 illegal tourism structures belonging to 3 tourism operators were brought down by the squad, while several structures belonging to 26 other parties were self-demolished by the listed parties on their own. Five of the parties obtained stay orders.
Deputy Collector Quepem holding additional charge of SDO, Deputy Collector Canacona Rohit Kadam, personally supervised the demolition drive for the second day even as 200 policemen deployed from various police stations and reserved battalions were on stand-by in case of any law and order problems in the
village.
Incidentally, the demolition squad was bifurcated into two parts with one team taking on the remaining illegal structures on the South side, while another team took up demolitions on the north side of the nearly 3-km long Agonda beach.
In the exercise completed in two days, a total of 47 illegal structures of 16 tourism operators were razed by the demolition squad, while unaccounted number of illegal tourism structures such as restaurants, cottages/huts, gaddas, were brought down by the listed parties on
their own.
Meanwhile, a number of visitors especially foreign tourists were seen watching the demolitions with amusements and clicking pictures of the razed structures now dotting the entire Agonda coastline.
“It is very unfortunate that people engaged in tourism trade are caught in illegalities by the authorities. Wish such issues were resolved before the season started. It certainly gives us a bad picture of Agonda beach, which we know as the most beautiful and peaceful beach in the whole of India,” said an unidentified woman tourist while watching a restaurant they had dined in only two nights ago being razed to the ground.
Locals are also wary stating ‘authorities have virtually cheated the tourism operators by not initiating action against the defaulters in time.
“There were a few tourism operators, mostly non-Goan’s, who failed to honor the GCZMA directives. When the GCZMA first ordered demolitions, we had warned these people to honour the directives of bringing down the structures and to obtain NOCs, but these people took everything easy,” stated Gaurav Bhagat, a tourism operator at Agonda.
Another tourism operator Shantaji Naik Gaunkar claimed, “Still in some cases, authorities failed to submit its report to the GCZMA after several of the listed tourism operators brought down their structures and even submitted photos of the same. They should have conducted inspections in time.”
Canacona Mamlatdar Raghuraj Phaldessai, Agonda panchayat secretary Sushant Lolayekar, several talathis, office staff of Canacona mamlatdar, police inspectors, PSIs, officials from GCZMA including a surveyor, Canacona electricity staff led by AE Sanjay Gaonkar, were present on Day 2 of the demolition drive.
