MARGAO
Goan hospitality is second to none, so goes the saying. When the all women team of Election Observers descend in South Goa to oversee the May 7 Lok Sabha polls, be rest assured that the district election officials will play a perfect host to the officials.
The South Goa election authorities during the 2022 Assembly election had departed from the norm of putting up Election Observers at the government Rest House or at Mormugao Port Authority’s guest house or Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s Residency located along the coastal belt.
In fact, if the Election Observers for the 20 Assembly constituencies were put up at starred hotel at Arossim in 2022, the district election officials have again booked rooms at a starred resort at Utorda to take care of the accommodation of Election Observers.
“The administration has already booked rooms at an Utorda-located starred resort to house the Election Observers for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat,” informed a senior district administration official.
In fact, the official hastened to add that leave alone the accommodation of the Election Commission Observers, all arrangements for their comfortable stay and to facilitate their election work has been put in place by the administration.
“We have put all arrangements in place for the Observers to come down and discharge their duties as election observers”, the official said, adding that South Goa will receive an all women team of Election Observers for the May 7 polls.
The Government Rest House atop Monte Hill or the Mormugao Port Authority’s guest house at Vasco or the Forest department’s guest houses or the GTDC’s Residency had in the past come in handy for the district election officials to arrange the stays of the election observers.
Sources, however, pointed out that since the last Assembly election held in 2022, the Election Observers are now being put up at starred resorts dotting the South Goa coast.
If sources are to be believed, the South Goa district administration had in the run up to the 2022 Assembly election renovated the Government Rest House atop Monte Hill, Margao. In fact, the administration had toned up the cable network at all the rooms at the rest house to ensure that the observers enjoy a pleasant stay during their visit to the State.
However, all the Observers were overnight shifted to the starred resort at Arossim in 2022 after one amongst the lot used his contacts with the State administration so that they all get better accommodation preferably in a starred resort, considered the tourism destination.
The Goan, however, understands that the Government Rest House at the Monte Hill has received a coat of fresh paint ahead of the May 7 Lok Sabha polls. And, if sources are to be believed the rooms have been painted and decked up to accommodate senior government officials deputed for election work in the district.
