MAPUSA
Offering some relief to shack operators in the State, the government on Saturday reduced fees on beach beds and garbage by 40 and 50 percent respectively, but left the fee structure for shack licences untouched.
After facing two difficult years on account of Covid-19 pandemic, the shack operators expected the government would consider their demand to reduce the fees on shack licences.
Director of Tourism Nikhil Desai informed that fees of deck-beds have been reduced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 15,000 and garbage collection fees from Rs 10,000 to Rs 5,000.
As announced earlier, the government has also extended the dates of remittance for the renewal fees of shacks/ deck-beds by two weeks which will end on November 4.
However, the shack licence fee was untouched and the shack operators will have to pay the revised fee structure for renewal of shacks for the season.
The shack operators on the A category stretch will have to pay Rs 1.37 lakh while those operating on B category stretch will have to pay Rs 1.10 lakh as renewal shack fee.
Considering the concerns of the shack operators, the government had extended their term of shack licence by another year for this season.
President of Shack Owners Welfare Society Cruz Cardozo said their demand was to reduce the fee on shacks which has been increased in this season but the government left it untouched.
“There is nothing in it to be happy. What we demanded we did not get but they have given us some concession. Overall, we will have to pay Rs 15,000 less to the department. But I thank the government for waiving off 50 percent of our licence fee in the last two years when we faced a poor season due to the pandemic,” Cardozo said.
Last week after holding a meeting with a delegation of Shack Owners Welfare Society, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte had hinted that the government would consider reducing the fees on deck-beds and garbage collection.
“Shack fee structure remains the same. The shack operators had met me and whatever we promised we delivered to them. Their demand was to reduce the deck-bed and garbage collection fees, which we have done,” Khaunte told The Goan.
He said the government had given extension to the shack operators on the existing policy and within that framework the concession was given to them.
In all, the government allocates 365 shacks across various beaches in the State.
This year, the department of tourism has given permission to 332 shacks. Licences of 33 shacks “ 12 in North Goa and 21 in South “ were not renewed as they had not paid their fees for the last two years.
