‘Reserve 90% of shacks for those with six years experience’

PANAJI: Shack owners on Saturday demanded that the government should reserve 90% of the shack allotment for traditional operators.
Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS) held meeting in Panaji to discuss the new shack policy that is yet to be finalised.
Until the last policy, 90% of the shacks were allotted to those having a maximum of three years experience, while the 10% were given to applicants having 0-2 years experience.
Cruz Cardozo, president, SOWS said the government should cap the allotment for those who have completed six years and above in running shacks.
“Genuine shack owners fall in the 90% category. And if a new applicant seeks to apply for more shacks, then they should approach the government to increase the number of shacks in the 10% category,” he said
He also said these demands would be conveyed to the government.
During the recently-concluded assembly session, chief minister Pramod Sawant had stated that the government cannot commence allotment of shacks unless the coastal zone management plan (CZMP) for the state is finalised.
Cardozo said that the CZMP is not applicable for the allotment of shacks as it has a mention in the CRZ rules.
He also said that beach shacks existed before the 1991 CRZ notification was issued.
“We don’t want shacks to be mentioned in the CZMP as our structures are temporary. We want them to be temporary,” he said.
Cardozo said that if the government want to put the shacks on the plan, then it is their prerogative. But we don’t want permanent structures on beaches, he said. “We cannot keep shacks on the beaches during monsoon,” he added.
On the issue of sub-letting of shack, Cardozo said that they will form a village-level committee to keep a watch on such type of activities and will inform the government.
“We request the government to cancel the licences of those operators who sub-let their shacks, and instead allot that shack to those persons who are in the waiting list,” he said.
Cardozo also denied that shacks are involved in illegal activities, and added that they will inform authorities if they come across such illegalities.