Team Herald
CALANGUTE: The fallout of Calangute murder wherein an Andhra tourist was done to death and the recent incidents of shack staff assaulting tourists, the Goa Police in its latest directive has ordered the closure of all shacks along the Candolim, Calangute, Anjuna and Mandrem beaches by midnight.
The Tourist Police have been directed to enforce this directive in letter and spirit.
All shacks along the North Goa coast asked to down shutters by midnight.
They have also been asked to shut down music at 11 pm or face the long arm of the law.
The shack owners have questioned the move, as they claimed that the decision will have a negative effect on their business which is already on the downslide.
A police officer speaking on the condition of anonymity justified the stand to direct shacks to close by midnight, stating that the police was initiating action as per the law.
The shack owners frowned at the new deadline and wondered why the government was hitting out at them just because of a few stray incidents.
Meanwhile, the Shack Owners Welfare Society has apologised to all tourists with regards to the recent murder of an Andhra Pradesh native at a beach shack in Calangute and other incidents of assault on visitors.
Society’s general secretary John Lobo said, “At the moment the number of tourists visiting Goa has reduced a lot. One of the reasons is that news has spread that in Goa there are fights, and tourists are beaten up by shack workers. We apologise to all tourists for what has happened. We have told all our members that such incidents should not repeat again."
“Tourists come here and give us business. Because of tourists we survive. The tourists are not to blame for this. We want safe tourism in Goa. We will endeavour to work for good tourism,” Lobo said.
After the fatal assault at the shack in Calangute, North Goa SP Akshat Kaushal had directed that the shacks at the Candolim, Calangute and Mandrem beaches be closed by 11 pm.
The owners stated that while music at shacks stops by 10 pm, the Tourism Department has permitted shacks to remain open till 11 pm, while the Excise Department has permitted shacks to sell liquor till 1 am.