the goan I network
MARGAO
Tourism officials with tourist police in tow descended at the Majorda beach on Friday morning to clear the illegal deck beds and umbrellas, but the operation drew flak from both the local stakeholders and tourists alike.
As the men-in-khaki descended on the beach to provide security for the tourism officials to discharge their duties of cracking down on the illegal beds and umbrellas, questions were raised about the entire operation right in front of the tourists breakfasting at the beach shacks at a time when tourist arrivals have shown a marked decline, leaving the stakeholders high and dry.
While Tourism deputy Director Diraj Wagle, who led the operation against the illegal beach beds and umbrellas, maintained that no umbrella or bed was confiscated which were occupied by the tourists, restaurant owner Dixon Vaz slammed the Goa government for initiating the operation right in front of the tourists, while they were having breakfast.
Wagle told The Goan that the operation was launched to confiscate the illegal beds and umbrellas under the Shack Policy. “This surprise exercise has been undertaken to confiscate all the beach beds and the umbrellas installed by the shack owners”, he said.
Wagle, however, said that the squad has only confiscated the unoccupied beach beds and those lying idle behind the shacks. “We have not removed even a single beach bed which was being occupied by the tourists. Only those extra beach beds and the umbrellas lying behind the shacks have been confiscated under the beach policy”, he said, while saying that enough care was taken that the tourists breakfasting at the shacks were not disturbed.
Restaurant owner Dixon Vav, however, begged to differ. “Measuring the beach shacks and initiating the operation of confiscating the illegal beds and umbrellas right in front of the tourists will not augur well for Goa’s tourism,” he said.
