.
THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA: North Goa District Congress President Vijay Bhike on Tuesday claimed that tourism in the State is on the decline due to the State government's anti-tourism policy.
Addressing a news conference, Bhike alleged the police had been harassing tourists on flimsy ground and were acting as pygmy agents of the government.
"With the three-year rule of the BJP-led government, tourism trade is at a low.
When the Congress was in the government, there would by 800-900 chartered flights during every tourism season. Now, that number has dropped to 250 chartered flights,” said Bhike.
“The State government has no concrete policy to boost the tourism industry and instead it is implementing policies which have harassed those in the industry.”
Bhike said domestic tourists have been visiting Goa in large number during the summer vacations, but said these inter-state vehicles are being intercepted by police by the roadside.
“Police stop these vehicles and extract money from them for no reason, thereby tarnishing the reputation of Goa and domestic tourists are now reluctant to visit Goa,” said Bhike.
"We request the State government to immediately stop its anti-tourism policies, else we will be forced to launch an agitation in Gandhian style. If the Congress party forms the government after the result of the 4 bypolls are out, we will stop these policies," Bhike said.
Taking a dig at Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai, Bhike said an educated deputy chief minister throwing the mobile of a government official, as captured in a video which went viral on social media, had only indicated that there was no respect for senior government officials in the government.
Others present at the news conference included Narayan Kerkar, Bholanath Ghadi Sakhalkar, Chandan Mandrekar, Adv. Shankar Fadte and Kartik Shetye.
