Goa: Unauthorised tent taken down at Baina beach

VASCO: An illegal makeshift tent set up by boat and watersports operators at Baina beach was removed on Thursday after complaints by an NGO.
The tent was built without permission from authorities and was constructed within the coastal regulation zone (CRZ), said an NGO member Parshuram Sonurlekar. The tent stirred up controversy in Vasco and gained attention as this isn’t the first time sheds have come up without permission.
Chief officer of Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) Jayant Tari sent his inspectors to the site of the violation but the tent was removed before the team arrived. A large number of domestic tourist who were there for boat rides were being told to rest at the temporary shed erected in the middle of the beach.
Tari said, “No erection of structure without permission will be tolerated by the municipality. There is a law for everything and it needs to be followed by all.”
The complaint with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) stated, “No Covid-19 SOP’s are followed as large number of people were seen sitting inside the tent. There are strict guidelines issued by the tourism department for construction of shacks and tents but here government departments are taken for granted and the trade is carried out in full operation.” The police team patrolling the beach had not reported the violation.