Beach shacks likely to come up from Sep 1 in Goa

Panaji: In an unexpected shift from the usual practice of waiting until Oct, shack operators have begun erecting beach shacks along Goa’s coastline and hope to commence operations in the first fortnight of Sep. This development was spurred by the tourism department’s proactive stance of renewing shack licences and initiating the demarcation process in Aug.

The move to set up the shacks caught staff residing outside Goa by surprise, with some demanding flight tickets to return.

“Renewal of the licences is already done. The tourism department started the demarcation of the shack area on Aug 20 in Calangute. On Aug 21, they went to Baga. The demarcation process is still ongoing, but people are already in the process of starting to move their furniture and other materials to the beach,” said Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS) general secretary John Lobo.

Lobo said that he will start operations at his shack by the first weekend of Sep.

SOWS president Cruz Cardozo said that this is the first time the department has proceeded to clear the decks for the shacks to start operations. Usually, shack operators have to wait on tenterhooks until Oct for the renewal and demarcation process.

“I have already started to erect my shacks. Once all my staff returns, I will start my shack,” he said. “There are Indian tourists on the beach. There are a few foreigners on the beach in Mobor. We can survive until the charter flights arrive.”

While the tourism department and the shack operators have taken an early lead this year, the monsoon is yet to bid goodbye to the state.

“It is good that they started renewing the licences early, but it is also a bit too early because of the rain. Only if it is dry can we do any work. It has to be nice and dry to do the work for the full day,” said Lobo.

An additional challenge for shack operators is the arrival of their staff. Though run by Goans, a majority of the shacks depend on waiters and chefs from outside Goa.

“Most of the staff will come by the end of Sep. They want flight tickets. They don’t want to come by train. Some are coming from Assam, Himachal, Bengal, UP and other states. They tell the owners to buy the tickets and then deduct from the salary,” said Lobo.

Charter flights are expected to arrive in Oct, with Russian flights landing first, followed by British charter tourists in Nov.