Although the last few days have seen everyone talking about the Draft Tourism Master Plan, the one question no one seems to be asking is: How will the master plan be implemented?
This is an important question given that not only in Goa but in larger India as well, a number of well-intentioned policies are notified but they are never implemented in the right spirit.
Consider also that Benaulim Gram Sabha has already adopted a resolution saying no to the Draft Tourism Master Plan. But how much power will the gram sabhas have when it comes to notification and implementation of the master plan?
If every gram sabha keeps objecting to the Draft Tourism Master Plan, will it ever be properly implemented? Moreover, it is a master plan for Goa as a whole. As such, the future of Goa, as a tourism destination, depends to a large extent on the plan.
Will it then be more of a top down implementation, wherein a government agency with representation from the tourism industry will implement this plan for the betterment of Goa’s tourism?
These questions have to be asked now. If they aren’t, there will be a lot of ambiguity, which will create a fertile ground for vested interests to grow and hijack the master plan itself.
Another important question which deserves to be asked is: How will the Tourism Master Plan work with other laws and departments like the Town and Country Planning Department, Urban Development Department, Regional Plan and so on and so forth?
Will the Tourism Master Plan override other laws? If yes, to what extent? Or will other departments work together to ensure the successful implementation of the Plan?
If the departments have to work together, there will be friction. To avoid that, it is really important that roles and responsibilities of all the departments are clearly defined.
This brings us to the most relevant part. Alongwith the master plan, a Tourism Board will also come into being. That means apart from Department of Tourism and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), there will be a third body called the Tourism Board as well.
Which agency will do what? This has to be decided before the Master Plan is even notified. Since the Department of Tourism will form and implement the policies, what will be the role of GTDC and the Tourism Board?
Should GTDC and Tourism Board have anything to do with each other or not? The most important thing will be to ensure that there are no clashes between the Department of Tourism, GTDC and the Tourism Board.
The State Government has to answer all these questions now. Once the master plan is implemented, it will also have to ensure that there is as little politics as possible and as much work as possible for improvement of tourism in the state.
