The State Cabinet on Thursday cleared a proposal to set up shacks on eight beaches in Maharashtra. The move is expected to provide a boost to tourism in the State.
The beaches selected for the pilot project are Guhagar and Areware in Ratnagiri district; Kunkeshwar and Tarkarli in Sindhudurg district; Varsoli and Dive-agar in Raigad district; and Kelwa and Bordi in Palghar district. More beaches will be selected in the next phase.
As per the government’s policy, a temporary shack can be set up at a spot agreed upon by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in consultation with the Maharashtra State Coastal Regulatory Zone. Each beach can have a maximum of 10 shacks and local entrepreneurs will be given preference to construct them. About 80% jobs will be reserved for locals.
Three-year permit
The Cabinet also decided the dimensions of the shacks, which will be given permission to initially operate for three years. The shacks must be 15 feet in length, 15 feet in width and 12 feet in height. The roof will have to be 20 feet in length and 15 feet in width. The rent for the first year will be ₹45,000 and for the second and third years, it will be ₹50,000 and ₹55,000 respectively. The shacks can remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but no loud music can be played.
The Tourism Department headed by Aaditya Thackeray has also decided to allow private firms to develop government lands under the MTDC. Under the first phase, MTDC resorts in Ganpatipule, Matheran, Mahabaleshwar, Harihareshwar and Mithbav and plots in Tadoba and Fardapur in Aurangabad will be privatised. A high-level committee will fix the annual rent and an independent consultant will be appointed for the project.