Goa govt cracks the whip on illegal beach shanties Pramod Acharya / CNN-IBN
Panjim (Goa): Illegal shacks and beach beds on Goa's beaches are quietly being put to rest. The state's Tourism Department have demolished around 30 illegal shacks and over a 100 beach beds. A High Court order triggered this crackdown on 'unauthorised' shanties, but the move has drawn angry reactions from shack owners who refuse to take it lying down. "They are not illegal. If they have then why has the state been collecting fees? If these shacks have not been allotted then shouldn't they have returned the money? We want 30 beds for each beach shack. What they are doing is political targeting, not following the High Court order. If it is a HC court order then is it only applicable to shack owners and what about hoteliers?" Convener of the Shack Owners Association Cruz Menezes asked. Meanwhile, the Tourism Department denied the allegations. "The Department has been dealing with the shack owners with an iron hand because there have been complaints in the past that beach stretches are too crowded. Whether it is shacks, beds or umbrellas, they shouldn't cause an obstruction to beach goers," Officer on Special Duty, Tourism Dept, Lyndon Monteiro said. The demolition drive has resulted in a face-off between shack owners and the state government and if this issue is not sorted out before the beginning of the next tourist season it could create big problems for the tourism industry in Goa. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/goa-govt-cracks-the-whip-on-illegal-beach-sh anties/64183-3.html ~(^^)~ Avelino
