TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: In what may be a very strong charge against shack owners, the State Home Ministry has disclosed that shack owners are shielding hawkers who earlier frequented the beach belt particularly in Calangute area.
This is one of the new problems faced by the police while patrolling the beaches during daytime and at night in Calangute constituency, reveals a written reply by the Home Ministry in the Goa Assembly Tuesday. This problem has cropped up after imposition of restrictions on movement of hawkers along beach areas by the deployment of police personnel, says Chief Minister and Home Minister Manohar Parrikar in his reply.
Parrikar also admitted that tourist assistance booths along the beaches across the State are insufficient to stop nuisance that is going on the beaches and pushed for electronic surveillance to monitor movement on the State’s beaches.
The reply says, “Some of the shack owners are engaging hawkers as waiters, dish washers, and helpers and during free time they attempt to go on beaches to carry out their business.”
The reply adds, “Whenever they are intercepted the shack owner claims they are the employees of the shack.”
The Home Ministry has also pointed out that there is no proper identity proof provided to these employees working in shacks or restaurants by the employer.
Likewise another problem irking the beach belt is the absence of sufficient tourist police assistance booths. “Electronic surveillance cameras are also required to be installed on the beaches,” says the Home Ministry in this written reply.
Similarly, sufficient number of authorised officers from the Tourism Department is required to be deputed on the beaches for taking action on the violations of the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act 1982. This reply was given to a query tabled by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo.
The shack operators have rubbished this reply stating that it confirms police inefficiency in clamping down on the problem of hawkers haunting
Cardozo said that what is wrong is wrong and nothing stops the police from taking action against the hawkers. “If required take action against the shack owners who are also abetting this illegality and cancel their licences,” he suggested. Cardozo further said “Shack owners cannot be blamed for everything.”
