PANAJI
With the shack owners managing to extract their pound of flesh after the initial row on some of the key aspects of the State’s new shack policy 2023-26, the focus now seems to be shifting towards the kind of tourists that Goa will attract.
The North Goa shack operators are unanimous that the key factor is the arrival of foreign tourists in the State for them to thrive as the shack policy will only help to regulate the business.
Concerns over delay in notifying shack policy
The shack operators have also expressed concern over the delay in notifying the new shack policy which has indirectly delayed the process of allotting shacks to the beneficiaries.
“We want foreign tourists to come to Goa. The shack policy will regulate and bring about discipline but we will get business only from foreign tourists,” said John Lobo, General Secretary of Shack Owners' Welfare Society (SOWS).
The President of Goa Traditional Shack Owners Association (GTSOA) Manuel Cardozo also emphasised the point.
“Unless and until we get good spending tourists (foreign tourists), this shack policy has no real significance. The trend indicates that foreigners are flocking to other neighbouring countries like Thailand and Bhutan, which should be a cause of concern for the government,” Cardozo said.
“Just a few hundred Russian tourists coming is not enough. We need continuous charter flights to land in Goa,” he said, referring to the first charter flight that brought 250 Russian tourists to the State.
Building tourism-related infra
According to the SOWS general secretary, the government should focus on building tourism related infra in the State.
“Better roads, uninterrupted power supply, changing rooms/ toilets on the beaches and ramps for the disabled are key aspects,” Lobo said.
The new shack policy has some salient features which focus on imposing penalties against those who indulge in illegalities.
Concerns over hike in fines
While the fine for sub-letting a shack has been hiked from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, shack operators have to cough up Rs 10,000 penalty for unhygienic toilets.
Blaring music emanating from various beach shacks will also be a thing of the past with the shack policy enforcing strict restrictions on sound of music.
“It’s good the government has imposed and hiked the fines which are needed to bring illegalities under control. Although Rs 10,000 for unclean toilets is a bit unfair, for the sake of discipline I will give it a pass,” Cardozo said.
Lobo, however, was not very enthused with the hike in penalties and fines.
“Regulations are definitely required to bring about discipline. But the government should not be so harsh on its own people. It would be fair if the offender is spared for at least the first two occasions with a warning and then impose the fine,” he said.
Promotion of Goan cuisine
Another key element introduced in the new policy was to make Goan cuisine available in the shacks in order to promote Goan food and culture among the tourists.
Welcoming the enforcement of Goan cuisine in the menu, SOWS general secretary said promotion of local food was the need of the hour but admitted that shack operators would have a tough time as most of the cooks in the shacks were non-Goans.
GTSOA President also said it was a good idea and it was important to promote Goan culture including food.
A section of the shack operators appreciated Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte for introducing the new shack policy but blamed the government for indulging in vote bank politics by watering down some of the regulations.
“The government is not bothered about the unemployed youth. They are bothered about their vote bank. There should not be a monopoly on the beach. Everybody should get an opportunity to earn “ with experience or without experience. The Tourism Minister had brought a very good policy but the Chief Minister has watered it down to please a particular shack lobby,” Cardozo thundered.
He said a group of 15 to 20 shack operators were controlling the shack business in the State and the government was bending backwards to please them.
“This shack policy is nothing new. It’s only to please the shack lobby and the particular MLA who is backing them,” he said. The SOWS general secretary opined that apart from a few tweaks here and there major part of the shack policy remained the same as in the past.
“The shack business was first started by the locals and the traditional fishermen on the beach side. It was not designed by the government. Now, the government is taking it over in the garb of regulating the business,” Lobo said.
