TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: United Goans Democratic Party has slammed the government for the closure of beach shacks on the Majorda-Utorda beach when the National Green Tribunal order was applicable only to shacks in private properties.
While demanding immediate de-sealing of the beach shacks, the UGDP has urged the government to obtain proper legal opinion on the interpretation of the judgement so as to avoid further complications during the next tourism season.
Addressing the media, UGDP Vice-President Radharao Gracias accused the tourism department for misinterpreting the NGT order. “All beach shacks at Majorda-Utorda have been shut due to misinterpretations of the NGT judgement dated December 17, 2014 by government officials. All beach shacks in the villages have been sealed under police deployment. The mass presence of policemen is keeping tourists away from the beaches”, he said.
He said a mere perusal of the judgement in the petition filed by Alexio Pereira makes it abundantly clear that the order pertains to temporary shacks and temporary huts in private properties. “Despite this, shacks set up in the inter-tidal area on the public beach, under guidelines approved by the High Court have been ordered closed”, Radharao said.
He said the government officials seem to have panicked and are more concerned about saving their skins and sealing premises, without even understanding the order, adding that shack owners have been put to irreparable loss due to closure of the shacks, without any advance notice.
He said that the NGT has clearly rejected the claim of Alexio to declare the shack policy which regulates the operation of shacks as illegal.
Saying that shack owners are put to huge losses due to 30 per cent fall in the arrival of tourists this year, Radharao said one fails to understand how only in the villages of Majorda-Utorda shacks could be illegal, when there are hundreds of shacks similarly operating all over.
“In case the government has any misapprehensions that the NGT judgement applies only to private properties and not to public beaches, a clarification could be sought from the Tribunal well in time to prevent a similar stalemate in the next year”, he added.
