The Bombay High Court bench here has directed the Goa government to formulate a legislation, by first week of July, to regulate setting up of beach shacks and deck beds on beaches.
The order came yesterday on a petition filed by an NGO Goa Foundation, which contended that the beach shacks and deck beds encroaching on the public access to these beaches frequented by the leisure seekers.
Goa which has a 105 km long coastline receives around 23 million tourists every year.
The beach shacks are regulated by the tourism department and in absence of proper guidelines, the beaches are crowded due to the deck beds.
Palm leaves that ched beach shacks, a prime attraction for beach loving tourists, sprung up only during the tourism season and are dismantled after the season sets out. The tourism department officials confirm that only five beds are allowed per shack while additional five beds can be allowed after paying nominal fees.
In yet another order, the court had asked the Goa State Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to survey all the dwellings, units and all other structures and construction that were existing in the coastal regulation zone iii (upto 500 metres from coastline) in Goa as on February 19, 1991 and increased thereafter.
GCZMA monitors violations of coastal regulation zone norms. The high court order was passed on October 13, 2006. Executing the high court decision, the GCZMA has appointed Hyderabad based agency M/S Remote Sensing Instruments, to conduct the ground level survey.
Courtesy:Zee NewsÂ
