Panaji: The captain of ports has rescinded a two-year-old notification that allowed watersports operators to run boats, jet skis and other rides on the state’s inland waters during “fair weather” spells of the monsoon. In the official notification withdrawing permission, captain of ports Octavio Rodrigues said that the tourism department never followed through on demarcating the designated zones for watersports.The rescission takes effect immediately, meaning river-based watersports activity during the monsoon period has to stop.The rescission order, issued by Rodrigues, withdraws the notification issued in July 2023 that permitted river tourism and watersports activities between June and Sep 15 each year.Four days earlier, Goa govt informed the Bombay high court that it would stop promoting river tourism and water sports during the monsoon in inland waters. The notification issued by the captain of ports is based on that assurance.According to Rodrigues, the 2023 notification itself made tourism department clearance contingent on operators functioning within specific zones to be marked out for monsoon watersports activity. The captain of ports decision acts as an admission that the tourism department never completed the administrative groundwork for the policy and yet NOCs for watersports were being issued.The order does not explain what happens to boat operators who relied on the 2023 notification for monsoon operations this year or in the previous years.
