Shack owners on Wednesday morning met in the city and decided to approach the government with their demand. Accordingly, a delegation led by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo met Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar.
“Our only demand is that government announce the shack policy as soon as possible. The new tourism season will commence from October and before that we want the policy to be out,” president of All Goa Shack Owners Welfare Society (AGSOWS) Cruz Cardozo said.
Cardozo said that the Chief Minister and Tourism Minister assured them that the policy will be out soon. “The delay in release of the policy is due to ambiguity over a Nation Green Tribunal (NGT) order directing GCZMA to study the beach carrying capacity,” Cardozo said quoting Parulekar.
As per reports, the license fee for shacks is expected to rise by 5-10 percent under the new policy, which will make installation of CCTV cameras at shacks mandatory.
Shack owners also sought a special presentation on the Tourism Master Plan, as the policy has not included suggestions they made.
