TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Water sports operators from South Goa under the banner of South Goa Water Sports Association are up in arms against the single-window system floated by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation.
In fact, the Association has come out openly to oppose GTDC’s tender without taking the water sports operators into confidence.
Association president Domingos Rodrigeus said the members at an emergency meeting have resolved the Association or its members will not be part of any tender, single window system or any private company trying to run water sports in South Goa.
The Association has further resolved that any new comer entering the water sports business in South Goa will have to seek prior NOC from the South Goa Water Sports Association. Domingos said the Association has requested the respective departments to take South Goa Water Sports Association into confidence regarding any tender, single-window system or any water sports-related issue on beaches across South Goa.
“We have been in the water sports business for around two decades now. We have invested our money without any government subsidy. We fail to understand what the GTDC is trying to achieve by a single-window system”, Association secretary Roy Barreto questioned. He pointed out that all the beaches in South Goa are operating under the queue system as per the guidelines of Goa Tourism and the Bombay High Court. The Association has taken strong exception to the government decision to levy 17 per cent entertainment tax on their operations. “The operators used to pay an amount of Rs 2,500 per season per boat. But, the new tax will hit our operations.”
