NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Shack operators, on Monday, observed a token one-day hunger strike at the Paryatan Bhavan in Panaji to press for their demand of completing the shack allotment process.
However, the Tourism Department is in a fix as the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) is yet to grant its approval for the shack policy of the government.
A meeting of the GCZMA will be held on Tuesday over the shack policy.
All Goa Shack Owners Welfare Society (AGSOWS) members observed a day-long hunger strike at the Parayatan Bhavan which has the offices of the Tourism Department including that of the Tourism Minister and the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).
The AGSOWS president Cruz Cardozo said that the shack owners are aggrieved over the laidback attitude of the Tourism Department despite the society’s continuous efforts over the last two months to settle the issue of setting up shacks on the beaches in the state.
“We have no more faith in either the Minister or the local MLA as they have been only giving us assurances for more than two months now, and nothing has moved. We survive only on this business, and the season has already started and we are yet to set up our shacks. The government has failed to keep its promise to the traditional shack owners,” Cardozo said.
He further said that the AGSOWS members will take to the streets of the North Goa beach belt, Calangute to Candolim, and stage a protest march on Tuesday.
“Tuesday morning, we will take out a morcha from Calangute ground to Candolim and bring the issue to the notice of all the people,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tourism Department director Sanjeev Gauns Desai said that the department has tried everything within its capacity to set up the shacks in time.
He said, “We cannot do anything unless the GCZMA grants its approval for the shack policy. The GCZMA is meeting on Tuesday, and we are expecting that the approval will be granted.”
He further said that the department in anticipation of the approval had commenced the process and invited applications for allotting the shacks.
The GCZMA on Friday last had decided to conduct joint inspection of all beaches for three days starting from Saturday before granting approval for the beach shack policy in its meeting to be held on Tuesday.
