PANAJI
Over 30 private shack owners from the State met Panchayat and Forest Minister Rajendra Arlekar with the request to grant CRZ NOC to around 400 shacks.
Speaking on behalf of the private shack owners, Dharmesh Saglani stated that a majority of the shack owners had applied for CRZ NOC in August.
"But not a single private shack owner has been granted CRZ NOC. Without this, panchayat, health, food and drugs, labour, luxury, excise and other departments are refusing to issue us permissions," he said.
It was informed that the shack owners have begun constructing their shacks after waiting for almost half the season for permissions.
Touching upon the root cause of the issue, Saglani said, "Every year, we have been demanding that the government formulate a separate policy for private shack owners. Almost 30 to 40 per cent of our income is spent on demolishing and reconstructing our shacks each season."
Other shack owners sought to point out that while the CRZ notification lays down a time-frame of September to May, their tourist season in Goa lasts between October and May, leaving a month wherein permissions need to be sought and granted for erecting private shacks.
