the goan I network
PANAJI
The Goa Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval to an amendment to the Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982, by which authorities will be empowered to penalise ‘rowdy’ tourists with fines for acts of public nuisance including drinking alcohol or cooking in the open.
The legislation amending the Tourist Trade Act will be passed in the upcoming 3-day budget session of the Goa legislative assembly beginning on January 29, Tourism Minister Manohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar told the media after the cabinet meeting. Ajgaonkar said, amendment to another law - The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001, has also been brought to tackle tourists who break glass bottles on the beach and other spots they visit. The amendment will prohibit those in liquor trade from allowing their customers to carry bottles in these tourist areas.
The amendment also has a provision for registering an offence against violators and imprisonment for three months if the fines are not paid, he said.
Ajgaonkar also said that the fines for groups of tourists violating the law could go up to Rs 10,000.
The government move to amend the law coincides with the tourism trade body in Goa slamming the government for displaying no vision or will to attract quality tourists to the State in the face of a drastic decline in footfalls over the last few seasons.
50% hike in perks for panchas, ZP members
In another significant decision taken by the Cabinet, remuneration of village panchayat and zilla panchayat members, was enhanced by 50 per-cent.
Sarpanchas will now get Rs 6000 per month instead of the current Rs 4000, while in the
Gaude, Dhavalikar lock horns
PANAJI: The Cabinet meeting held on Thursday witnessed some unsavoury and heated moments when Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude launched a vitriolic verbal attack against PWD Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar.
Gaude, an independent legislator has a running feud with Dhavalikar’s younger brother Deepak over defending his political turf in Priol constituency.
Cabinet sources said, Gaude verbally abused the PWD Minister and accused him of giving preference to development projects proposed by his brother in Priol. Gaude had defeated Deepak in the Assembly elections in 2017.
Sources said, Gaude on at least two occasions during the Cabinet meeting also used ‘unparliamentary’ expressions against the PWD Minister. The tension subsided only after other senior Cabinet colleagues intervened and changed the subject of discussion, the sources said.
