Licences pending, Calangute shacks sell alcohol on dry day

CALANGUTE: With a large number of tourists thronging Calangute and Candolim beaches over the long Gandhi Jayanti weekend, many beach shacks have already had a soft opening, although the tourism department has not yet finished the licensing process.
Irony was not lost on consumers as alcohol was sold at a premium on Gandhi Jayanti, a dry day. A pint of beer which is usually sold at Rs 80, went for as much as Rs 200 and the larger 1L bottle, which otherwise sells at Rs 150, fetched up to Rs 350.

Large crowds poured into the state on Saturday for the long weekend, many driving from neighbouring states in their own vehicles. With almost all tourists heading to the beach, many shack owners who are still in the process of erecting their shacks started serving food and beverages. “Those whose shacks have been erected have had a soft launch,” a source said.

Though the tourism department had completed the process of licence renewal by September 15, they are yet to commence the inspection process after the shacks are erected, only after that can shacks commence operations. Shack owners were reluctant to disclose if they had all the necessary permissions from the tourism department to begin operations. The waiters and support staff, however, admitted that full-fledged business had begun.

Calangute sarpanch Shawn Martin told TOI the panchayat has issued around 70 NOCs so far to shack owners to enable them to get Food and Drugs Administration approvals, electricity connections and other approvals.”

A shack owner said, “Normally it takes a month from the time the shack plot is demarcated and the inspection is done. But with there being no rain this year, the tourism department should have speeded up the process, and finished it by now. But things got delayed because of the Ganesh Chathurthi holidays and now the long weekend.”

There are around 200 shacks along the Calangute-Candolim beach-belt.