Panaji: Goa Tourism Department will study the carrying capacity of various beaches in the state in its master plan which will help determine the number of popular beach shacks that could be allowed on the shoreline. “Department of Tourism is in process of preparing a tourism Master Plan and has agreed to include the component of carrying capacity of beaches Goa in the said plan/Policy through a expert agency,” the department informed Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
The National Green Tribunal in December, 2014, had directed GCZMA to carry out a study to assess the carrying capacity of beaches in Goa. The study was required to know the number of beach shacks that could be allowed to be constructed on the shoreline.
“As the Tourism Policy 2013-16 is valid only up to end of this tourist season and now the department is required to prepare a fresh policy for the next season, the component of temporary seasonal structure and its regularisation needs to be included in the new policy,” it said. The coastal state has more than 300-odd shacks that are constructed on beaches during the tourist season.
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