NT Reporter
Margao
Several beach shacks have begun wrapping up the tourist season along the Salcete beach stretch due to issues, including lack of tourists and a limited supply of commercial LPG cylinders.
Though the tourist season in the state typically continues till May, some beach shacks in Colva
and Benaulim have already started dismantling their structures.
“I had to shut the shack down early this year because on the one hand there are no tourists and, on the other, there is no gas. This government should have made some arrangement of providing commercial LPG cylinders. Usually we continue operations till about April and May,” said Colva-based fisherman and shack owner Domingo Rodrigues, questioning how they will pay workers’ salaries if there is no business.
President of the Shack Owners Welfare Society-Goa Cruz Cardozo said the limited supply of LPG cylinders was a key reason.
“Because of the war, there is limited availability of LPG cylinders and overall, in Goa, the focus is on domestic cylinders,” he said.
Though some shacks have begun using alternative cooking techniques, the impact of the war is being felt by the tourism sector. “Some have started cooking using wood-fired stoves, while others are using diesel or induction. Now that the season is coming to an end and tourists are not coming, and with the LPG issue, shacks will have to wrap up early. The flight operations have also been affected,” Cardozo said.
As far as the quality of tourists the state is receiving, he said that “the kind of tourists we are getting now are the ones who bring their own food and prefer sitting on the beach instead of at a shack. There are incidents where locals have been attacked, so also the police and the lifeguards,” he said.
