One-season permit for shacks in N Goa hub

CANDOLIM: The tourism department on Friday said that licences for all beach shacks would be valid for three seasons, except for those operating along the Calangute-Candolim beach belt, which will be accorded a single season permit.
“Following directions from Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), the new shack policy mandates that the validity of the licence period for this coastal stretch (Calangute-Candolim) be limited to one season,” tourism director, Sanjeev Gauns Dessai, said.He added that the licences would be renewed next year and that the fee collected would be for a single season only.
Secretary of the All-Goa Shack Owners’ Welfare Society (AGSOWS), John Lobo, told TOI that the shack operators concerned were still not aware of the reason behind the move.
“The government has demarcated our shack plots and we have started erecting structures. Once they are complete, the tourism department will conduct an inspection and only then grant us licences,” Lobo explained.
The number of shacks on this popular stretch which accounts for more than half of all the beach shacks in the state may also be reduced after the report on the carrying capacity of the coastline is submitted to the GCZMA.
As many as 364 shacks have been allotted spaces at various beaches across the state.