PANAJI: The Goa government is yet to take any decision on giving beach shack allottees a discount on licence fees and the file proposing a rebate is presently pending with the government.
Last month, the Shack Owners’ Welfare Society (SOWS) submitted a proposal to the tourism department asking for a reduction in licence and other fees charges for setting up seasonal shacks.
“We have sent the proposal to the government requesting that relief be given to beach shack allottees and are awaiting a response,” a tourism official said.
Shack allottees are seeking a rebate on the various fees owing to two back-to-back unprofitable seasons. While the government is yet to take a call, the shack owners are worried about the delay as it would stretch the process of setting up shacks.
Goa has been seeing a steady flow of tourists even as Covid-19 restrictions are yet to be lifted fully. Hence, operators are looking forward to the new season.
Mathew Fernandes, a shack operator from North Goa, said that they are hoping the government will reduce the licence fees, like last season, without further delay, so that they can initiate the process of setting up shacks. The validity of the three-year beach shack licences ends in 2021-22.
“Though it takes four to five days to set up a shack, there might be a further delay when you have few hands to carry out the work,” said Fernandes.
The allottees will be able to execute the work of setting up shacks only after the tourism department has finished the task of demarcation of shacks.
The shack operators, he said, have not paid licence fees yet hoping that the government will reduce it.
Seasonal shacks remain in operation from September to May. However for the past two seasons, due to the pandemic, shacks were compelled to shut operations two months in advance.
