Team Herald
Panjim: The Draft Jetty Policy of Goa 2022 threatens to take away a major chunk of the jurisdiction of the Captain of Ports, over the State’s coastal and inland waterway jetties. With the Tourism Secretary as the head, and the Tourism Department and GTDC being major stakeholders of the Jetties Management Committee (JMC), the Captain of Ports (CoP) may be reduced to just a recommendatory member as far as the administration of jetties is concerned.
Highly-placed sources in the Captain of Ports said that the major jurisdiction of the CoP over 104 km of coastline and 225 km of inland waterways may soon shift to the Tourism Department in the form of JMC. The Jetty Policy gives the responsibility of recommending activities including dredging and creation of tourism infrastructure, apart from other technical modifications of the jetties to the relevant authorities, to the JMC.
Surprisingly, the entire policy has been drafted on the basis of a consultancy that was provided to an Andhra Pradesh-based firm.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said, “The Jetty Policy will take care of jetties under the tourism department and not the ones under the Captain of Ports.”
Goa Forward Party President Vijai Sardesai said that the Draft Jetty Policy clashes with the Maritime Policy, which Goa needs. “Tomorrow, the Tourism Department will want to take over forests so they can regulate jungle treks,” remarked Sardesai, calling for more time for the public to give their feedback on the policy.
The Tourism Department has given the public 15 days to file objections and suggestions to the Jetty Policy.
