PANAJI
With business likely to be subdued and uncertain, Goa's traditional beach shack operators are demanding SOPs on licence fees and other levies and the government appears to be listening.
Ports Minister Michael Lobo, who represents Calangute, which is the hub of tourism and accounts for the largest number of beach shacks, is lobbying hard on their behalf.
He met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant earlier on Friday and argued for halving the shack licence fees charged by the tourism department.
Lobo also urged the Chief Minister to write to RBI for an extension of the EMI moratorium period from Banks for tourism businesses.
According to Lobo, the Goa government is likely to cut by 50 per cent the beach shack licence fees to assist the operators in the Covid-19 pandemic impacted business environment.
Lobo said an announcement from Sawant is expected soon.
Meanwhile, the All Goa Beach Shack Owners Association had also written to the government seeking SOPs for this season and also instructions on what standard operating procedures to adopt to open up shacks for business.
The body representing the private shack owners has also represented to the government objecting to the publication of draft rules to amend the Goa Daman and Diu Registration of Tourist Trade Rules, 1985, concerning the fee structure for registration of private shacks with the tourism department.
The amended rules were published in the Official Gazette on August 27.
President of the private shack owners association Dharmesh Sanglani expressed disappointment over the government ignoring their past representations on the matter.
