The cold war between Tourism Department and the Goa Police over cracking down on touts may have momentarily died down after the Chief Minister asked the Director General of Police, Jaspal Singh, to clamp down on all kinds of illegal businesses along the coastal belt, but have left a bitter trail.
The crossfire over touts began when Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte slammed the Police Department for failing to crack down on touts operating along the Calangute beach belt. In response, Superintendent of Police, North Goa, Nidhin Valsan, responded that the police have clamped down on 100 touts and hawkers in Calangute in the past three months while adding that there were 400 booked last year. While Khaunte blamed police for shirking away from their responsibilities, the SP pointed out that the Tourism Department is the nodal agency empowered to crack down on touts and hawkers along the beaches.
Firstly, Khaunte’s initiative to cleanse the system of touts is a welcome one because it will go a long way in streamlining and refining tourism. However, the blame game between the tourism department and the police is uncalled for because it is a collective effort where the objectives are the same.
It has been an open secret that touts, hawkers and even beggars have mushroomed and flourished along the coastal belts across the State. Violations can’t thrive in the open without the tacit help of departments and law-keepers, whether they are from the Tourism Department or the Police Department. The same yardstick applies to almost all illegalities, including rave parties and sound violations. The police data of 500 touts booked in over a year only shows to scale of mismanagement.
The Tourism Department sounds forceful in doing away with touts. However, the sincerity of this move remains under a cloud of suspicion not only because of the abrupt timing but also because it is area-specific instead of sector-specific.
Touts have become facilitators to tourists because of accessibility issues. So tourists are ready to pay for the convenience offered, which otherwise would not have been a breeze in a seamlessly integrated system. Touts are at work at all major tourist destinations in India and even in some places abroad. They have exploited the systemic flaws and, in most cases, integrated their work with the system so well that even the officials have been hand in glove.
A tout doubles up as a tourist guide for rave parties, most happening clubs, casinos, massage parlours with benefits, and all other shoddy activities whose information is not public. The tout is linked monetarily to literally everyone and everything under the tourism banner, including the law-keepers.
So, if touts are to be eradicated from the equation, it would require a Herculean effort round the clock from all and sundry, not just one department. Moreover, cleansing tourism has to be holistic and across the State, not just Calangute-specific. Right now, there is enough suspicion because the crossfire in the foreground and reality in the background are tied with a knot of vindictive politics. Fair play, please.
