The Goa tourism department has ordered the closure of 23 beach shacks for illegally subletting their operations to non-allottees, including individuals from outside the state. The move comes after an inspection revealed widespread violations of the state’s shack policy, IE reported.
A spokesperson from the department stated that the inspections were initiated following multiple reports of unauthorised subletting. A spokesperson of the department said that 110 show-cause notices were issued, out of which 54 proceedings have been concluded. While 31 cases were dismissed as no violations were detected, 23 operators were directed to shut down their shacks. Notably, six of these operators were non-Goans, the spokesperson added.
Beach shacks are a significant attraction for tourists in Goa. Under the Goa State Shack Policy 2023-2026, 361 shacks were allocated across designated beach stretches — 263 in North Goa and 98 in South Goa — through a lottery system, IE reported. The policy reserves shack licenses for unemployed Goan residents.
During inspections, authorities discovered that payments via point-of-sale systems or UPI apps at some shacks were linked to individuals who were neither original allottees nor related to them. Additionally, several shacks were found using deck beds without valid license numbers and operating without GST registration.
The tourism department has terminated the licenses of the violators and directed immediate cessation of operations. “The department issued an order terminating the shack license allotted to the concerned operators, directing immediate cessation of all activities conducted by the allottee under the Goa State Shack Policy 2023-2026, forfeiting the security deposit submitted by the allottee to the government treasury and instructing the allottee to remove the beach shack within 15 days from the date of the order,” the spokesperson said.
The tourism department emphasised that the closures are part of an ongoing effort to uphold the integrity of Goa’s tourism sector. The spokesperson added that the state is committed to ensuring fair competition and maintaining a secure and welcoming environment for tourists and legitimate shack operators.