Panaji, Sep 5 (IANS): All encroachments on the beach areas of Goa belonging to the Tourism department will be identified soon and subsequently removed to preserve the land, an official said on Monday.

An order issued on Monday by Johnson Fernandes, director of Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR) stated that Department of Tourism desires that the various beach stretches in Goa located on the western coast be duly surveyed on account of various encroachments made by unscrupulous elements usurping upon the area and hence this exercise will be carried out.

According to this particular order, the government has conveyed approval to carry out the survey of the entire beach stretch so that the illegal encroachment could be identified and removed to preserve land belonging to the Department of Tourism.

DSLR had also carried out a survey of the beach land in the year 2008 and had fixed boundary stones which plan shall be used for all references to carry out fresh survey of the properties belonging to the Department of Tourism.

Goa has around 105 km long stretch of beaches, which consist of many popular beaches from North and South Goa.