Team Herald
PANJIM: Shack operators heaved a major sigh of relief, as the final notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has permitted temporary structures to be retained on beaches.
Beach shack and beach hut operators welcomed the Centre’s decision stating it would bail them out from investing not less than Rs 1-1.50 lakh to erect the structures every year. “It is a great cost saving to us. Spending on each beach shack costs around Rs 1-1.50 lakh and dismantling it after every tourist season often results in losses. The MoEF notification is a good change,” President of All Goa Shacks Owners Welfare Society, Cruz Cardozo, told Herald.
The notification amending the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification issued in 2011 mentions that temporary structures erected on beaches would not be removed or dismantled during the monsoon. However, facilities available in these structures will remain non-operational during this period.
Josephine D’Cruz, co-owner of King’s Heart shack also hailed the development in view of huge expenses incurred in setting up a structure. “We spend lakhs of rupees to set up a shack on the beachside besides making payments to obtain different licenses from Tourism Department, Excise. The labour cost to construct and dismantle the structure is rising every year. I support the amendment in favour of this business,” she said adding, “We will save at least some portion of our hard-earned money.”
However, the high tide and strong winds during the monsoons, will not allow all operators to retain their structures. Cardozo said that shacks close to the beach, are prone to sea water entering the structures during the high tide and even being destroyed as a result of heavy winds. “Owners of structures located close to the beaches have no choice but to undergo the annual process of constructing it afresh and then dismantling it at the end of tourist season,” he added.
The order, which is also applicable to private shacks and beach huts, comes following Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo’s consistently pursuing it with the Centre. The previous BJP government had constituted a committee under Lobo, for granting various relaxations under CRZ regulations. This is one amongst the many proposals sent MoEF.
“I welcome the decision. It is in the interest of Goans. I am thankful to the ministry and also Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, with whom I followed up the issue while he was Defence Minister,” he told Herald.
