Allot shacks based on seniority: Shack Owners Welfare Society
NT Staff Reporter Panaji, Oct 19 The Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS) of Goa has urged the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat to allot 90 per cent shacks to the traditional shack owners based on their seniority. Pointing to the delay in allotting shacks this season, the society has sought the Chief Ministers intervention to allot the shacks at the earliest as the season has already begun. In a recent memorandum to the Chief Minister, the SOWS president, Mr Cruz Cardozo said that any amount of reservation whether it be 75 per cent or 90 per cent is unacceptable to them unless and until weightage or seniority is mentioned in clause number 11 of the policy of year 2006-07. Mr Cardozo said that last season, the cabinet had approved with a voice majority that 75 per cent of the shacks should be allotted on seniority basis for experienced candidates, but to their dismay, the shack owners found out that this decision of the cabinet was hijacked by manipulating the minutes of the cabinet meeting and draw of lots was imposed on experienced candidates. Mr Cardozo said the same ministers are still there in the present government and they can vouch that mischief has been committed by last years tourism minister. We only request you to rectify this mischief and delete this draw of lots for experienced candidates. As a result last season 50 per cent of the actual shack owners had to buy licenses from persons who had won licenses only due to luck of the lottery, Mr Cardozo said. In order to avoid this money-making racket due to lottery, we humbly request you to help the serious and actual shack owners by considering the weightage clause, he added. Mr Cardozo has also sought to know how many sun-beds will be allowed per shack. Though each shack was allowed only five pairs, the shack owners have demanded that at least 10 pairs of sun-beds be allowed per shack. They have pointed out that though many stakeholders including hotels, illegal shacks and shacks in private properties put sun-beds, only tourism-licensed shacks get blamed for anything and everything that happens on the beach. We are also at pains to understand how shacks and sun-beds contribute to degradation of environment according to CRZ committee. In fact shacks and sun-beds are made of bio-degradable material and we fail to understand how this temporary structures have impact on the environment, Mr Cardozo said. The society has stated that organised beach management is the need of the hour and that no policy or plan will succeed unless there is full co-operation from the local people. The shack owners have therefore called for a dialogue that will improve the present scenario. Let us manage the beach to the likes of one and all tourists who come to Goa. Let us have a foresight for our tourism in Goa, the memorandum stated. http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=102010 Sanny de Quepem <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
