Authorities in Goa have decided to initiate action against illegal beach beds dotting the sandy coastline in the wake of the High Court's directives on the issue.
In an important judgment, the Goa bench of Bombay High Court directed the state tourism department to clear seashores of illegal beach beds.
The court gave three weeks to the department to file a compliance report.
The division bench took serious note of beach beds that were blocking free access to beaches. The directive came during the hearing involving two five star hotels that were locked in a dispute over beds on the beach.
"We have issued a public notice through newspapers, asking shack owners and hoteliers to clear illegal beds from beaches. Now with the High Court's directives we are moving immediately," Pamela Mascarenhas, deputy director of the state tourism department, told PTI.
The department allows five beach beds per shack and more beds can be put in after paying fees, Mascarenhas said.
"We are going to confiscate all extra beach beds, which are lined up on the beaches," she said.
Goa's 105-km beach belt has several spots frequently visited by leisure seekers, and shacks and beach beds are in demand in these places. The state attracts 23 lakh tourists every year, who mostly come to enjoy the sun, sand and surf.
"The excessive beach beds are mostly on prime beaches. We will be able to clear everything in three weeks," Mascarenhas said, refusing to divulge when the drive would begin.