Team Herald
PANJIM: In what could bring major relief to private shack owners, the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF) has in-principle allowed retaining the temporary wooden structures during the off season. The notification in this regard is expected to come before May end.
Shacks are permitted to be erected in private properties in October-November and are dismantled by May 31, before the monsoon brings in rough weather and turbulence in the seas from June to September.
Owing to a heavy expenditure on constructing and dismantling these temporary structures, the All Goa Private Shacks and Huts Association and Calangute BJP MLA Michael Lobo had approached the Union Ministry seeking relaxation.
“The Ministry has in-principle agreed to the demands, wherein they are likely to propose that these temporary wooden shacks and huts be covered with plastic, ensuring that it does not lead to environmental issues, during the off-tourism season,” Lobo told Herald.
“The condition will be that no business activities in these structures be initiated during the period. Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) will be entrusted with the task of conducting surprise inspections to ensure that no rules are violated,” the MLA added.
Lobo, who has been following up the matter with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, said the Ministry will soon issue a notification amending the necessary coastal zone management guidelines, before May end.
“This will bring relief to over hundreds of private shack operators, spread across the coastal belts,” he said.
The Union Ministry is also in the process of relaxing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations to give a fillip to tourism potential in the 150 km-beach stretch in Goa.
In a recent communication following MoEF directives, Union Ministry for Tourism has directed the State to identify beach, backwater, lake and river stretches significant from the tourism point of view, which can be considered for relaxation of CRZ limit.
