CALANGUTE: Shack owners have claimed that Goa Tourism has messed up the shack business in the coastal villages of Calangute and other parts of Goa by interfering a lot and levying various taxes. They stated that the shack business was carried out smoothly and efficiently before Goa Tourism came into limelight. They added that today, except for huge fees running into lakhs of rupees, the shack business is unpredictable.
“We were involved in a systematic and genuine shack business for years together, but since Goa Tourism got involved in the allotment of shacks, etc on the coastal beaches of Calangute, it became a big mess. We never fought for either allocation or location of the shacks on our beaches and we did everything in a friendly way. Today, there is lot of enmity amongst us and Goa Tourism seems to take advantage of the situation. We are also forced to pay huge fees. We have no problem paying huge sums, but at least the required infrastructure should be made available by the department,” said Simon Fernandes (name changed).
“The three-year policy may be advantageous to a few, but in real terms, it is not a healthy one as genuine shack owners were left high and dry while others made fast money by offering their shacks to friends or others for a price. Earlier, we could at least be hopeful of the lottery the following year. Until something is done to stop such family application for lotteries, the mess will go on,” added another shack owner.
However, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo is in favour of the three-year shack policy. He stated, “The policy is an opportunity for the shack owners to invest in the shack business with quality purchases of deep freezers, cutlery, furniture, etc, which he or she could not have been willing to do for a one-year shack policy. As far as selling shacks is concerned, the government is exploring options to stop family members bidding for the shacks and selling it to others at huge sums. Only genuine shack owners should be allowed to bid for the shack business in the coastal villages of Calangute and elsewhere.”
