The tourism season may have just begun, but it is already in the midst of a controversy with the All Goa Private Shack & Huts Owners (AGPSHO) demanding a fresh tourism policy from the government by November 10, failing which they threatened to seek legal recourse to their long-pending grievances.
“We have been meeting authorities and submitting various memorandums to the government since 2010, but except for assurances, there has been no concrete action,” said AGPSHO ad hoc president Dharmesh Sanglani, who is also the Chairperson of Sanquelim Municipal Council.
Criticising the State government’s indifferent attitude to resolve their various grievances, Sanglani said, “The government has come out with a tourism policy, but we have been purposely kept out of it, thus giving us no benefits. As of now, we have no option left and we will wait till November 10, after requesting suitable action on our representations. If nothing concrete comes out by then, we will approach court for justice to our grievances.”
AGPSHO Ad-hoc Committee Secretary Pankaj Dessai said all the private property shacks and huts owners all over the State had been left high and dry.
“There are over 375 private shacks and huts owners throughout the State, but the problem is most felt along the Canacona belt, as 176 of them are from Canacona alone,” said Dessai.
“From Rs 150 per hut, the government in its latest tourism policy has re-classified it to Rs 3,000 (non-AC) and Rs 5,000 (AC) per hut, with an equal amount of deposit towards each hut. The shacks in private property have also been unduly enhanced to Rs 20,000 from the previous Rs 10,000 along the same lines as the beach shacks. How can the government treat us along the same lines as beach shacks, since beach shacks are set up on government land?”
“We demand that the government comes out with a policy by taking us into confidence to safeguard our interests. Besides, we want licenses/permissions for 3-5 years, a reduction in fees/deposits by reverting to the previous slabs or a marginal increase, permission to commence our trade at the beginning of tourism season, a single window system for all NOCs/licenses and an equal number of beach beds/umbrellas as permitted to beach shacks,” Dessai added.
According to him, 25 per cent owners of private shacks and huts have commenced their seasonal trade along Canacona’s coast, after taking permission from only the local bodies, and not the Tourism department.
“None of them have approached the Tourism department after obtaining necessary permissions from local bodies, as the astronomical rates defined in the new tourism policy are not within their reach,” said Dessai.
“Local bodies are authorised to issue necessary licenses, so why should we pay a huge amount to the Tourism department, which has no role in private properties?
“Besides, fees are to be paid to as many as 16 different departments, including Fire & Safety, Food & Drugs, Excise, Labour Department, Health Services, Electricity, Weights & Measures, Tourism, TDS, Luxury Tax, Sales-Tax and Local Licensing Authority (municipality or panchayat), to set up shacks and huts in private properties. By the time all these NOCs are obtained, half the tourism season goes by and one is left with only 2-3 months to earn a livelihood from tourism,” lamented Dessai.
