the goan I network
MARGAO
Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao on Friday blamed the cops for the slowdown in tourism business along the coastal belt at a time when tourism stakeholders are banking on the domestic visitors with the numbers of foreign tourists on a decline this year.
In fact, Churchill said he would lead a delegation of tourism stakeholders from Salcete coastal belt to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant with a request to stop the harassment meted out to the visitors on the tourism belt. “I want to draw the attention of the Chief Minister to the bitter fact that the presence of traffic police on the roads, including the national highway, state highway and even the internal roads heading to the coastal belt have all contributed to driving away tourists to the beach belt. This has only resulted in making matters worse for the tourism stakeholders, including restaurant owners, who are all crying over poor business this season,” Churchill said.
The Benaulim MLA pointed out that the traffic police have set up pickets at all entry points to the Salcete coastal belt at Khareband, Orlim, Mungul and right at the Colva road junction, driving away visitors from the tourism belt. “Instead of going after the visitors and motorists, let the traffic police help regulate the traffic. As it is, there’s a decline in the number of foreign tourists to the state and the situation will only aggravate for the tourism stakeholders if the police presence drives away the domestic tourists,” he added.
The Benaulim MLA had been a vocal critic of the presence of the traffic police at almost all the road junctions heading to the coastal beach belt.
