PANJIM: Beach Shack operators have welcomed the decision of allotment of shack on time but strongly objected to the processing fees which they have to pay to the department every year.
Speaking to Herald Cruz Cardozo, President of All Goa Shack Owners Association said that the processing fees were paid last year, this time it is just the renewal of the licenses and there is no need to charge such huge amount of Rs 12,000 from the shack operators.
“We will speak to the Minister and Director of Tourism also as why they are charging such fees. We need to pay total Rs 96800 to the department this time plus huge GTS and electricity bills”, Cardozo said.
He informed that he will be also meeting minister for power as the charges of the electricity is more than the industries. He said that they will demand to issue three years connection of electricity not the seasonal as license of beach shack also valid for three years.
“We welcome the decision of the department of Tourism that beach shack allotment is done on time this year or else we used to suffer in past”, he said.
The shack allotment process for the season 2017-18 is scheduled to begin from September 4 and will be completed by September 20, 2017.
Minister for Tourism Manohar Ajgaonkar in a statement issued said, “I have directed the Department of Tourism to complete the entire shack allotment process in time before the tourism season commences”.
The entire shack allotment process will be time bound and the department will ensure that shack operators comply with all the requisite documents and formalities so that the shack operations commence in a smooth manner, minister said.
