Team Herald
PANJIM: The shack operators mostly from South Goa district are now facing hurdle from the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), who are asking them to obtain No Objection Certificate (NOC) for shacks erected in their port limits.
The incident came to light last year when MPT officials visited Arossim beach and asked one of the shack operators to obtain NOC from the MPT for erecting shack in the port limits as per the Major Ports Act and the Land Policy and Rules. The shack operators later reported the incident to the department of tourism.
Director of Tourism Menino D’Souza said that as per the Beach Shacks Policy, the department on behalf of all shack operators is obtaining permissions from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) for erection of shacks on the beaches. He said that the department had till date not written to the MPT for such NOCs.
D’Souza said that following the Arossim incident, the department wrote to the law department, who asked the department of tourism to seek opinion from the GCZMA. “We have now written to the GCZMA in this regard and are awaiting their decision,” he said.
The department of tourism has been granting licences to erect shacks along the 104-km-long coastline of the State. This year the department has given permission to erect 342 shacks including 254 in the North Goa district and 88 in the South Goa district.
According to D’Souza, as per the Beach Shacks Policy, the licences of shack operators are now renewed for a period of three years instead on yearly basis while, 90 per cent of licences are granted to the experienced people and 10 per cent for new entrants. The three-year licensing period will now end in May next year after which the department will grant fresh licences by draw of lots.
It may be recalled that due to COVID-19 pandemic, the State government has also granted 50 per cent waiver in beach shacks and deck-bed fees for the current tourist season 2021-2022.
