PANJIM: The beach shacks operators mostly from the North Goa coastal belt met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and appealed to him to reduce the hiked licence fees for the current year.
A delegation of shack operators led by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo brought to the notice of the Chief Minister that the licence fee to erect temporary beach shacks has been increased from Rs 65,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh per year.
Lobo said that most of the shack operators were finding it difficult to pay the increased fees since the government had increased fees by 80 per cent.
He further said that the fees to put up deck beds and umbrellas on beaches have also been hiked from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 while, a separate fee of Rs 10,000 for garbage collection has been introduced from this year.
The Calangute MLA said that the Chief Minister has assured them to look into their demand in a sympathetic manner. Last month, the State Cabinet extended the tourism beach shack policy by one more year.
Earlier, the government had waived 50 per cent shack fees following a request by the shack operators, who complained that they suffered losses for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
