Tourism Minister has caused the biggest damage to tourism: Calangute MLA (Herald)

End result of all foreign tours is domestic ‘underwear tourism’, says Michael Lobo; Threatens strike against demolition of shacks by Tourism Department; Outburst by own party MLA against minister spells trouble for Govt

By TEAM HERALD | 12 Feb, 2015, 12:38AM IST

 PANJIM: The gloves are off. The simmering tension and differences between Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and the Tourism Minister from his party, Dilip Parulekar, are fully public. Lobo, in the strongest display of anger against Parulekar, broke all restraint and said, “The tourism minister has caused the biggest damage to tourism in Goa. He has finished tourism. The end result of all his tours is underwear tourism,” (referring to ill clad domestic tourists on the beaches on North Goa).

Lobo’s no holds barred outburst happened as he led a delegation of aggrieved shack operators and other tourism stakeholders to the State Secretariat and threatened to take to the streets, if his own government failed to resolve the virtual standoff between shack owners and the Tourism Department. This reached another flashpoint when some shacks were demolished in Candolim by the department on Tuesday.

While the shack operators have termed the demolitions as harassment, the Tourism Department maintains that it acted according to the shack policy and  demolished unauthorized shacks and destroyed illegal deck beds which were in excess of the approved number for each shack.

“The most embarassing part was that tourists, particularly foreign nationals were asked to vacate the deck-beds,” Lobo said, ridiculing the tourism promotion campaigns across the globe.  

“What sort of tourism is this?” the BJP legislator questioned, charging the Tourism Department of wasteful expenditure of public funds. The tourists were asked to vacate the deck beds and the officials went on to destroy and cut the beds leaving, all of us red-faced. First of all, the government lavishly wastes public money on promotional tours in countries from where tourists are barely interested in visiting Goa, and on the other hand, they are ill-treating those tourists who spend their holidays here,” he alleged.

“The former chief minister (Manohar Parrikar) had granted relief to the shack operators from making any payment due to slack season. The assurance was in the presence of tourism minister (Dilip Parulekar) and Tourism director (Ameya Abhyankar). But such a step by the government is ridiculous,” Lobo told journalists on Wednesday after the meeting at the Secretariat. The Tourism Policy mandates that shack operator pay Rs 17,000 for 10 pairs of deck beds per shack.

MLA Michael Lobo threatened to hold a rally by roping in all tourism stakeholders. A meeting to chalk out the plan will be held at T B Cunha hall on Thursday.

Flying squads took action against illegal beach shacks: Tourism Dept

u Not more than 10 pairs of deck beds are permitted for shacks on public beaches. Additionally, if there is any further requirement this can be increased by another five pairs at the request of the applicant says Abhyankar, Director Tourism  

u Unauthorized erected beach shacks, illegally placed deck beds, umbrellas, huts and any such violations are not permitted under the Tourism policy for erection of temporary seasonal structures during 2013-16 

u Tuesday’s action was initiated by the flying squads by virtue of the orders wherein two illegally erected shacks on the Candolim beach stretch and all deck beds in excess of the permissible limits were removed 

u Calangute MLA threatens strike over shack demolitions

u Shack operators condemn Tourism department’s action to cut/remove deck beds

u Tourism department terms these shacks and deck beds are illegal and demolishes based on complaints by IRB

u Forms flying squads to inspect illegalities

 

 http://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/Tourism-Minister-has-caused-the-biggest-damage-to-tourism-Calangute-MLA/84740.html