The nightmare on Saturday and Sunday, resulting from the sudden rise in sea level due to Cyclone Ockhi, has caught tourism off guard on the coast of Mobor, Varca and Cavelossim, severely affecting tourist-related activities in those areas.
Herald visited the beaches of Mobor, Varca and Cavelossim to get a firsthand knowledge of the cyclone aftermath and noticed that over twenty shacks were damaged due to the natural calamity.
Rough estimates of the initial losses put by shack owners amount to Rs 20 lakh on the three beaches.
Besides shack owners feel that vital revenue-earning days of the tourism season have been lost due to nature’s fury.
Isidore Vaz of Varca puts his losses to about rs 7 lakh, while Savio Furtado and A C Fernandes say they suffered losses to the tune of Rs 3 lakh. Several others too have suffered similar fate due to cyclone Ockhi. In Cavelossim, Seby Vaz and Reema Correa too claim to have suffered losses to the tune of Rs 3 lakh.
The government district administration and tourism department has undertaken the initial assessment of losses, even as shack owners have done their own personal loss assessment.
Meanwhile, reconstruction and repair work of shacks is going on on a war footing on the coastal belt and shack owners are busy to put things back on track.
Many expect things to be in place by Saturday and hope to cash in on the tourist season.
