Panaji, Oct 4 (TOI): Every year, shack owners lose out on one and a half month of the peak tourism season, thanks to the government delaying in declaring the tourism shack policy and allotting shacks, president of the Shack Owners Welfare Society, Cruz Cardozo said on Monday, adding that they have to obtain all other licences from various departments adding to expenses of putting up beach shacks.

"This year, too, we have been after the government since June, but till today nothing has happened. The government has been increasing the fees each year from 500 in the early 1990s to 55,000 last year, but in return we are not provided with any facilities like water, electricity and garbage collection. It was only after repeated requests by the society that infrastructure was provided to shacks in a few areas,"

Cardozo said, while speaking at the workshop on 'Corporatisation of Tourism — Impacts on livelihoods and community resources. Asserting a people's charter for tourism', organized by the Centre for Responsible Tourism and Equations, Bengaluru, as part of the People's Forum on BRICS - Goa in Panaji.

Talking about how the beach shack policy evolved over the years, he pointed out that the lottery system of allotting shacks resulted in some of the beach shack owners becoming unemployed.

Cruz also expressed dismay at the government for releasing a draft tourism master plan while making no mention of beach shacks at all.