MARGAO
With the government clearing the decks for the beach shacks this season, work on the erection of the beach shacks along the coastal belt has started in right earnest.
If all goes well, shack owners exuded confidence of completing the work on shack erection by September 20, paving the way for the commencement of the beach shacks in the new tourist season.
A couple of beach shacks are being erected along the Mobor-Cavelossim beach belt. Other shack owners, who had headed to Valankani to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Valankani are expected to begin the work after their return.
This is perhaps the first time in recent years that erection of the beach shacks have started in early September. Last year, the beach shacks were erected in the month of December after the commencement of the tourism season.
President of the Shack Owners Welfare Society Cruz Cardozo said Tourism department’s decision to provide the licences for the beach shacks, followed by the demarcation exercise, has helped the shack owners to erect the shack structures.
“After the allotment of shacks and payment of fees, we could approach the local Panchayat bodies for the licenses and apply to various other departments including the Goa Pollution control Board, FDA, Health etc," he said.
He added: “Since the shacks were allotted early, the shack owners could approach the other departments for the NOCs and licenses”.
The President of the Goa Shack owners Society, however, made a fervent plea to the Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and the Tourism direction to renew the licenses of the 41 beach shack owners, who could not erect the shacks on time last year.
“The Society has already made a plea to the Tourism Minister to renew the licenses of the 41 shack owners, 24 in North Goa and 17 in South Goa, so that they too could commence the work of the erection of the beach shacks on time”, he added.
