They say several issues are still hanging fire
Diana Fernandes
Margao: Shack owners in coastal Salcete have started dismantling their structures as the tourism season is coming to a close. While shacks on the more popular beaches of Benaulim and Colva are still up, work on dismantling temporary structures at Cavelossim and Mobor beaches have already begun.
They said this season has been “okay” as compared to the previous years. However, they rued over a host of issues that have been hanging fire for some time.
The tourism policy, the contentious proposal on the model shack and the demand for a system to treat kitchen waste and sewage generated in shacks are yet to be resolved.
Although the tourism shack policy 2019-22 was extended for an additional year owing to the coronavirus pandemic, there has been no clarity on the new tourism policy.
The shack owners have consistently maintained that the government’s proposed `1 crore ‘model shack’ would be elusive for locals who have been in the tourism industry for a long time.
All Goa Shack Owners Welfare Society president Cruz Cardozo said they will continue demanding preference to the Goan shack owners in the tourism business.
“We are not sure what the new policy will have for us. We have constantly been saying that the Goan shack owners cannot afford to put up a model shack entailing cost of `1 crore. It is out of our reach. We have been submitting memorandums to the state government and we will be sending another one in June as well,” he said.
Some shack operators have complained that the establishment of the Manohar international airport in Mopa in Pernem taluka has affected their business as tourists are hesitant to travel the distance from the Mopa airport to South Goa district.
Handling of kitchen waste and sewage has always dogged the shack business. Hence shack operators are hopeful of an end to the problem.
In April this year the shack owners association demanded a portable sewage treatment system, urging the government to consider it as a viable means of treating sewage as well as kitchen waste in a clean and efficient manner.