Tourism: Big budget, small spendings - ToI

Tourism: Big budget, small spendings ByBindiya Chari, TNN | Mar 10, 2013, 02.21 AM IST PANAJI: The government started with a bang by increasing the budget outlay of the tourism department from 95.43 crore to 261.30 crore. For the first time, a stronghold of the state's economy—tourism—was given some importance, with the government saying it would bring in drastic changes to put the sector on the fast track to development. Chief minister Manohar Parrikar's 2012-13 budget speech announced grand plans that included a tourism policy, a masterplan and a tourism development board. The start of 2013 has seen the government only just start to execute some of the plans. And leading the pack, is the process to appoint a world class consultant being set in motion. A saving grace for the sector, though, has been beach management. Even though upset shack operators did get the government to rollback some aspects of the beach shack policy, the policy itself tried to bring in some order and discipline on Goa's beaches. Water sports operators and shack operators were at least made to fall in line with the tourism department creating two flying squads to check illegal deck beds and shacks. The present government can also be credited for removing the River Princess, albeit only its top portion. The vessel had remained off the Sinquerim-Candolim coast for over a decade. It now needs to be seen if the government will be able to get Arihant Shipbreakers to remove the balance part of the ship that's hidden under water. Praising the budget outlay, tourism minister Dilip Parulekar says, "We have tried to utilize the funds for infrastructure development, but in some cases the work could not be expedited on expected lines due to involvement of other departments." The CM's other promises—cluster development authorities and the tourism development board—are yet to take shape. Parulekar says the board will be constituted after tourism masterplan is formulated; that it would be the right way to proceed. To be noted is that industry stakeholders are not complaining at present even though the major promises remain unfulfilled. They are willing to give the government some more time, as some think "at least a beginning has been made". http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Tourism-Big-budget-small-spendings/articleshow/18886132.cms