MARGAO
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) GOACAN has said the Department of Tourism, Goa government, is circulating a tourist map of Goa that does not show the existence of Dharbandora taluka.
In his letter to the District Collector, South/Kushavati, GOACAN Convenor Roland Martins said the map was given to the NGO on September 21, 2026, when its members visited the Department of Tourism office at Patto, Panaji. “These visits are part of our ongoing 100-day Consumer Rights and Responsibilities Awareness Drive, launched on June 25, Goa State Consumer Rights Day. During the drive, we identify various ‘deficiencies in service’, after which appropriate memorandums are submitted to senior officials of the Goa government administration,” he said.
He added: “In this case, we have found that the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, is deficient in providing correct and updated information to residents of Goa and domestic and foreign tourists visiting this international tourism destination. The map only shows Sanguem taluka in Kushavati district and, in doing so, the Department of Tourism has failed to show the existence of Dharbandora taluka.”
“When huge amounts of taxpayers’ money are being spent every year on tourism promotion events in India and abroad, especially at the World Travel Market in the UK and ITB Berlin in Germany, we fail to understand why the Department of Tourism is unable to print a map with correct and updated information,” he said.
In view of World Tourism Day being observed on September 27, 2026, the NGO has requested the Collector to order the Department of Tourism to immediately withdraw and stop distributing the incorrect and outdated printed Tourist Map of Goa, and print, in a time-bound manner, a new Tourist Map of Goa that includes Dharbandora taluka along with other correct information.
