The proposed amendment to Coastal Zone Regulation (CRZ) regulation, 2011 to allow temporary structuresbeach and private shacksto remain during the monsoon, as and when it becomes a ruling, is less likely to bring any benefits to beach shack operators. The amended regulation will be more of help to private shack operators, stakeholders said. Under the beach shack policy of the tourism department, a shack allottee is not permitted to erect concrete structures on the beach. They have to use wood or bamboo erect the structure. The roof is thatched. If left standing off-season, shack operators believe the structures will not able to withstand the onslaught of waves and windy monsoon weather. Some opined if they were allowed to use iron poles instead of wood or bamboo then the structures would not be damaged by the elements of nature. “Weather causes wood and bamboo poles to whither. As it is, we lose four-five poles when we dismantle shacks at the end of the season,” secretary, Shack Owners’ Welfare Society (SOWS) John Lobo said, adding that on an average it costs 25,000-30,000 to erect or dismantle a shack. A shack operator from Candolim, Cyril Silveira, said it didn’t make sense for them to leave their structures on the beach during the rainy season unless they were permitted to use iron poles. Some shack operators had demanded that they be allowed to retain the structure of their shacks during the off-season as demolition and reconstruction at the end and beginning of every season, respectively, entailed additional costs. Tourism director Sanjeev Gauns Dessai, who was of a similar opinion, said that beach shack operators are likely to suffer more loss if their shacks are left to stand on the beach during the monsoon. The proposed amendment, Dessai feels, will accrue more benefits to private shacks operators.
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