TOURISM DEPT TO RAZE ILLEGAL SHACKS

Reacting to allegations of illegal shacks being erected on the state's beaches, the tourism department on Monday ordered an inquiry report and said it would demolish all illegal structures. The department has already halted the construction of an illegal shack at Benauli.

The matter was raised by The Goan Traditional Shack Owners Association (TGTSOA), whose spokesperson Kennedy Afonso alleged that the government was turning a blind eye to illegal shacks being erected even as the allotment of shacks has been stayed by the Supreme Court. The court will hear a petition filed by the rival Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS) on November 27.
"What happened to the draw of lots to select spots on the beach? If the tourism department allows these illegalities to continue, it defeats the very purpose. Inviting fresh applications was a joke. What is this whole shack allotment exercise about?" Afonso questioned.
As per information gathered by TGTSOA, there are illegal shacks being erected in Cavelossim, Colva, Varca, Benaulim, Velsao and Calangute," he added. "The SOWS president has put up an illegal shack at Cavelossim," the TGTSOA spokesperson alleged.
"The SOWS approached the Supreme Court seeking to appeal the high court order (which directed the tourism department to allot shacks on the basis of lots rather than seniority), and got a status quo order issued. Now, the SOWS have themselves put the status quo directive in contempt," Afonso said.
"We have prepared an affidavit with the list of SOWS members who have violated the status quo directive and will submit it to the chief secretary," he added.
SOWS president Cruz Cardozo denied the allegations saying that i have not erected any shack. These allegations are baseless. Kennedy has himself put up an illegal shack at Cavelossim. In fact, TGTSOA members have put up shacks in private properties in Calangute and made illegal extensions into government land," Cardozo alleged. Countering the allegations, Kennedy asked Cardozo to prove the same.
When contacted, tourism director Swapnil Naik acknowledged that shacks have been erected. "However, these shacks are on private properties and have got permission from the respective panchayat and the tourism department," he said. He added, "We have received information that 2-3 shacks at Calangute have made illegal extensions on government property on the beach. I have asked for a report. We have also stopped a shack being erected on government land which was right in front of our lifeguard tower at Benaulim," the tourism director added. "Fact is that shack owners are getting restless as they are being deprived of their business. However, if we find any illegal shacks on government land, we will have to demolish them," the tourism director added.