(Image source from: Canva.com)
On Thursday, the Goa tourism department mandated the shutdown of 23 beach shacks that were found to be illegally subletting their spaces to individuals who were not allotted the shacks, including those from outside the state, in violation of the shack policy regulations. Following numerous reports of unauthorized subletting, the department carried out an inspection. "In the course of this inspection initiative, 110 show-cause notices were issued, with 54 of those proceedings reaching completion. Out of these, 31 notices were dismissed as no violations were identified, while 23 operators were instructed to close their establishments. Notably, six of those ordered to shut down were not residents of Goa," stated a department spokesperson.
Beach shacks, which are conventionally constructed using sustainable materials like bamboo, wooden poles, and thatched palm leaves, serve as a significant draw for both domestic and international visitors to Goa. The shack policy permits unemployed Goan residents to operate "temporary" shacks along the beach during the peak tourist season, which lasts from September 1 to May 31.
According to the Goa State Shack Policy for the years 2023-2026, 361 shacks—comprised of 263 in North Goa and 98 in South Goa—were allocated within designated beach areas for the upcoming three tourist seasons. The licenses for these shacks are distributed based on the allottees' experience category through a lottery system. During the inspection, authorities observed that payments at the beach shacks, including those made via UPI, were processed in the names of individuals who were neither the original allottees nor closely related to them. "Furthermore, it was noted that deck beds had been placed without required license numbers displayed, and there was an absence of GST registration," the statement continued.
"The department has issued an order rescinding the shack licenses granted to the implicated operators, mandating an immediate halt to all activities carried out by the allottee under the Goa State Shack Policy for 2023-2026, confiscating the security deposit submitted to the government treasury, and directing the allottee to dismantle the beach shack within 15 days from the order date," the spokesperson added.
This enforcement action follows a series of violent incidents that have occurred at beach shacks in recent months. For instance, on January 26, a 37-year-old businessman from Goa lost his life after a dispute with a beach shack worker regarding bench placement at Arambol beach. An investigation revealed that the shack’s allottee had sublet it. Similarly, on December 30 of the previous year, a 28-year-old tourist from Andhra Pradesh was killed following an argument with a beach shack owner and workers over a food order in Calangute.
