NT Reporter
Panaji
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Friday called for a coordinated drive to tackle touts in Calangute, stating that the local police must take responsibility for addressing the problem and could be held accountable for negligence of duty.
Khaunte was speaking to reporters after attending the Sarkar Tumchya Dari programme at Calangute.
“I have been saying since 2022 that touts will have to be driven out. Even at today’s programme, most people raised the issue of touts. The local PSI
did not sound very confident, but I think the problem
cannot be resolved without initiating a drive,” Khaunte said.
He stated that local
MLA Michael Lobo had
also been raising the issue and that coordinated action was necessary to curb
the activities.
“The local PI is responsible for resolving these issues. Otherwise, responsibility will have to be fixed for negligence of duty. Elected representatives also face problems when answering people’s grievances. It must be investigated where these touts live, who supports them and why they keep returning,” he said.
Khaunte stated that he would speak to the Superintendent of Police and take up the matter with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
“When the Home Minister says we do not need touts, the Tourism Minister says we do not need touts, and the local MLA says we do not want touts, then why can’t people remove them?” he said.
Complaints about dance bars and prostitution were raised during the programme. Khaunte stated that these matters fell within the local police’s purview, and that the police were responsible for monitoring such activities and taking appropriate action.
Citizens also suggested that guest houses be verified. Khaunte stated that the government had gathered inputs from shack owners and other stakeholders to understand the challenges faced by those operating in the tourism sector.
He stated that stakeholders had raised concerns about frequent fines imposed on tourists, which they felt were affecting tourism in the state. He had spoken to the Traffic Police Inspector and asked that the practice be stopped.
Issues concerning the Excise Department were also raised. Khaunte stated that the grievances would be addressed and expressed confidence that the Chief Minister would issue directions to the concerned departments.
He stated that tourism management required coordination among departments, including the police and those responsible for roads, water supply, sewerage and garbage management.
