Team Herald
PANJIM: The tourism season 2019-20 is set to begin from October 4, when the first charter of the season will arrive from Moscow’s Royal Flight with 224 passengers.
Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) said that Caper Travel Company Private Limited will be bringing in the first chartered flight of Russians to Goa by Royal Flight. “The flight will arrive on October 4 at Dabolim International Airport at 6.30 p.m.,” TTAG said.
Since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stayed implementation of Beach Shack Policy, the tourism department is not in a position to give permission to erect shacks. The season is set to commence from coming week and no shacks have come up along the beach belt.
NGT, through an order passed on September 13, stayed Beach Shack policy 2019-22, pending finalisation of coastal zone management plan (CZMP). NGT has asked State to finalise and submit CZMP by November 15.
When contacted, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said that “Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant is looking into the issue seriously, and we would be moving High Court pleading to vacate the stay granted by NGT with regards to shack policy. Entire tourism business will be affected. We just cannot let this happen,” he said.
Beach shacks have been the main attraction for international tourists visiting the coastal State.
“The shack owners have moved to the High Court pleading to vacate the stay granted to the shack policy by NGT. The case would be heard on coming Monday,” Manuel Cardoso, General Secretary, Goa Traditional Shack Owners’ Association (GTSOA) said.
Cardoso said that they are expecting that the High Court will stay the NGT order so that they can start constructing the shacks.
During the last tourist season, 292 chartered flights had arrived from Russia.
