CALANGUTE: Shack owners have questioned the government behind the logic in delaying licences to beach shacks as the domestic tourists who already started flocking to the beaches have to go back disappointed as things are not in place till date.
“The licences will be issued only somewhere in mid-November and this has led to loss in business as the tourists who had come on a holiday during the festive season had nothing to enjoy on the beach,” lamented shack owners.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
“Calangute is known for its discos, restaurants and beach shacks during the tourism season which basically starts in September and now it’s October 25. Tourists are already here and if they go to the beach what is there for them? Are they just going to lie down on the beach? They’re coming to Goa to enjoy the sun, surf and the sand and if the main attraction, the beach shacks and deck beds are not there, how are you going to make Goa attractive? They come here and there’s nothing here on the beach. You’re spoiling their holiday. And you are also depriving the locals of their income because many of them are dependent on shacks and they also employ others,” a stakeholder said.
“The whole blame has to go on the shack lobby which is working behind the curtains. The shack policy was approved in mid-September. But after mid-September, the shack lobby started lobbying as per their whims and fancies, and it is because of those shack owners that there is this delay. They insisted on certain categories and shack locations at certain spots. We cannot blame only the Tourism Department and the Tourism Minister for the delay,” Manuel Cardozo, president of the Goan Traditional Shacks Owners Association, said.
“The lobby is trying to block the category for newcomers, because they feel threatened as their monopoly is threatened. This has created a mess of the shack policy,” Cardozo said.
“It’s wrong of these politicians and vested interests who have created all this confusion. Beach shacks are mainly meant for the unemployed. They are the ones who are most affected,” a shack owner said.
