Finally there is some symmetry in opinions on the kind of tourism that Goa is promoting. Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, after watching helplessly tourists crowding the Calangute beach over the years, has now felt the need for government to brainstorm and bring about a change. ‘Cheap’ tourists are flooding Goa, laments Lobo. Lest we forget TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai in early February of 2018 sparked off a controversy terming tourists visiting the State as ‘scum of the earth’.
Tourists cooking in open spaces, urinating in public places including beaches, drinking and creating nuisance by breaking bottles on the shores are common sights during the tourism season. If a video of a tourist urinating from the window of a bus triggered Vijai to call tourists ‘scum of the earth’, broken bottles along the beaches have prompted Lobo to finally reflect on the state of our tourism.
The million dollar question however is why is the government not doing anything? Both legislators have spoken on the need to be choosy over the kind of tourism Goa wants. But again, there is no will from the government to move ahead and plan an overhaul. The stinky garbage issue that is dodging the State for years, continues to be a biggest eyesore. And this only amplifies our sorry state of affairs.
If cheap tourists are visiting the State and running amok what is our enforcement doing. Isn’t this a complete failure of the coastal police? Or are they seriously less in numbers? If police have stopped roadside cooking, they have directed them to open spaces. Police have been mute spectators as tourists throw caution to the wind. The only place where police make their presence felt is during nakabandis and at checkposts where every outstation vehicle is stopped and documents checked. And everybody knows why this is done so religiously.
Picture this: A lone policeman stationed at Colva beach watching helplessly in the wee hours of the New Year as hordes of domestic tourists descended on the shores with cartons of beer and liquor in tow. In Calangute the scene was no different. Tourists not only consumed beer, but left a trail of broken bottles along the coast. It’s been over two years that the government is talking of banning drinking in public places. And yet nothing has changed.
It’s an irony that police took pride in the fact that they booked 311 cases of drunken driving across the State on New Year, a time where Goa was at its party peak. This is outlandish, since a special 3-hour drive in September alone got 315 violators, that too when there were no celebrations around.
The government must wake up to the fact that our enforcement is seriously lacking in manpower and equipment. All the talk of reining in discipline means nothing, if the wherewithal to enforce it is lacking.
