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CANACONA
A major showdown was averted after a Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) team ordered the shutdown of about 55 shacks and shops at Palolem beach, but later withdraw its order and hastily left the site on Thursday evening.
According to municipal sources, a team comprising CMC Chief Officer Raju R Dessai, the municipal engineer and other staff visited Palolem beach and began to verify trade licences of shops along the main entrance.
As most shopkeepers and traders failed to provide any permission, the CMC team ordered the shutting down of about 55 establishments mainly dotting the main beach street and some prominent shacks, including a wholesale liquor shop run by a councillor.
The CMC team also made attempts to demarcate municipal property, presently being used as parking space. But as the team faced stiff resistance from some encroachers and some other tourism stakeholders, the CMC team was forced to withdraw from the site.
“There are many encroachments on CMC property and the municipal team had gone to clear these encroachments. But some people objected to the move,” said a source close to the CMC chief officer.
Many shacks and other establishments are conducting businesses without the mandatory trade licence, either seasonal or annual. Since these activities are being conducted without permission, the CMC team had sought to close down these businesses but people began to arrive in large numbers to defend the move.
Some traders confronted the chief officer and told him that they had applied for trade licences from CMC but the licences were not issued to them, compelling them to go ahead with their activities.
The municipal team, which was accompanied by only a couple of policeman, the deputy chairperson and a former CMC chairperson, were outnumbered by the crowd and later left the site.
The establishments, which included shacks, whole liquor shops, lamani operated shops and other general stores, earmarked for closure quickly opened up and resumed their activities for the day.
Incidentally, some tourism stakeholders insisted that they had applied for trade licences, but accused the CMC of failing to issue the licences.
“We clearly told the inspecting team since the CMC had not issued trade licenses we could not furnish them. We also told the chief officer that since we did not receive any letter in response to our request for trade licences, we deemed it as having being granted and we resumed our trade activities,” said a tourism operator.
When contacted, CMC Chief Officer Raju R Dessai confirmed that they were conducting a joint inspection of encroachments on roads and municipal properties, which were blocking the road, obstructing vehicles, and pedestrians.
“Within 200 metres, every one should obtain CRZ NOCs before applying to grant trade licence. As of now, no one from the parties concerned had taken this CRZ NOC and all are operating illegally. The NGT has recently passed a strict order in this regards,” said Dessai.
Tourism operators to stage morcha
CANACONA: Aggrieved over the Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) team’s inspection at the Palolem beach, the tourism stakeholders in Canacona municipality have decided to stage a morcha before the Canacona deputy collector on Friday morning. Incidentally, Canacona Deputy Collector Raju R Dessai also happens to be the CMC chief officer, who was part of the team inspecting the Palolem beach.
The aggrieved stakeholders reportedly approached Canacona MLA with their grievances against the chief officer, and sources said the MLA advised them to submit a written memorandum listing out their grievances. Sources added that the tourism stakeholders have prepared a list of grievances and will meet the dy collector, who is also the CMC chief officer.
STRONG RESISTANCE
According to municipal sources, a team comprising CMC Chief Officer Raju R Dessai, the municipal engineer and other staff visited Palolem beach and began to verify trade licences of shops along the main entrance
As most shopkeepers and traders failed to provide any permission, the CMC team ordered the shutting down of about 55 establishments mainly dotting the main beach street and some prominent shacks, including a wholesale liquor shop run by a councillor
The CMC team also made attempts to demarcate municipal property, presently being used as parking space. But as the team faced stiff resistance from some encroachers and some other tourism stakeholders, the CMC team was forced to withdraw from the site
