MARGAO: Several water sports operators from Cavelossim on Saturday anchored their boats on the shore in protest against the kiosk erected on the beach to implement a queue system and collect fees on behalf of them.
Water sports operators from both North and South Goa are also planning to call a statewide agitation and are also gearing up to approach the National Green Tribunal to take action against the Tourism Department for violating CRZ norms.
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It is pertinent to note that the Tourism Department is planning to extend the queue system via Goa Electronic Limited (GEL) for beaches across the State, for which the installation of kiosks is underway.
The watersports operators from Cavelossim and the local panchayat had opposed the kiosk and called it illegal as they have not obtained any permissions from the panchayat.
Speaking to the Herald, Roy Barretto, a water sports operator, said that nearly 14 operators have anchored their boats in an act of protest against the Tourism Department’s forceful implementation of the queue system.
“We have decided not to venture into the sea until and unless the issue is resolved. The government is planning to take away the tourism business from the locals and hand it to the outsiders,” he alleged.
“We are planning to stop operating at the all-Goa level to protest against the steps taken by the Tourism Department, without taking the local stakeholders into confidence,” he said.
