Team Herald
PANJIM: Despite the tourism season commencing with the arrival of charter tourists in the State, the government’s shack allotment is still pending, causing a delay in setting up shacks along the beaches.
However, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar on Sunday confirmed that Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has already cleared the shack policy and informed that the shack allotment will be done by October end.
Speaking to Herald, Dilip Parulekar said that as the CM has cleared the shack policy, it will be tabled and circulated before the cabinet in the coming days and the allotment will be done by the end of October.
“As the file will be circulated and tabled in the cabinet, simultaneously the CRZ will give its permission and approval and once it is done, the application for installing shacks will be invited. Process of allotting shacks will be done through lottery system,” said Parulekar
“We will also speed up the process of allotting shacks as the tourism season has already started and we do not want any more delay and if required, I will deploy extra officers to demarcate and allot shacks,” the minister said.
“The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is to be blamed for the delay in the allotment of shacks. The cases pending before NGT delayed the shack allotment process; some private shack matter was pending before NGT, there is no delay as such from the Tourism Department. But for now the CM has cleared the policy, the file will be tabled before the cabinet and accordingly CRZ will issue its permission,” he added.
Speaking on the “Sunburn” EDM festival issue, Parulekar stated that, as of now no decision has been taken by the government on EDM festivals.
He added that the organisers have to sit with the management committee, which is headed by the Chief Secretary and discuss the issues and clear whatever dues are pending, following which a green signal will be given to the festival, then it is up to the organisers, whether they want to hold the festival in Goa or in some other State.
Informing that Goa will have more than 1000 chartered arrivals this tourist season, he said, “In the last two years, the chartered arrivals in the State had declined, but this season with the e-visa and group visa procedure, we expect that the chartered flights to cross the 1000 figure mark.”
