the goan I network
MARGAO
In a decision that has raised many an eyebrow, South Goa District Collector, Ajit Roy, has withdrawn with immediate effect from Monday the notification issued under section 144 of the Cr PC in December last making it mandatory for landlords and hotel owners to provide particulars of the persons to the police stations.
The order issued on December 24 ahead of the peak tourism season was to remain in force for a period of 60 days, but the District Collector on Monday withdrew the notification with immediate effect.
The notification had ordered owners/management of all hotels etc to prohibit any visitors and guests to check-in without providing any photo identity proof such as election card, driving license, smart card, employment card, aadhar card issued by the government.
Similarly, the notification had mandated that no landlords/tenants/owners etc of any house/property which falls under the territorial jurisdiction of South Goa district shall let/sublet/rent out accommodation to any person unless and until he and she has furnished the particulars of the tenants to the police in-charges of the area concerned.
The notification issued under section 144 of the Cr PC came following a report from the Superintendent of Police, South, that criminals with an intention of committing crime in Goa usually stay in hotel/rented premises with fictitious names and bogus residential/official address and telephone numbers and after commission of crime, it becomes difficult to identify culprits as the details furnished by them to the hotels/landlords are found fictitious and bogus.
The terrorists and anti-socials can camouflage their identity for their operations as hotel owners/ landlords neither follow the procedure of verifying the antecedents of the person to the person to whom they rent their premises nor inform the same to the local police. “Further, there are cases where the tenants further sublet the premises without the knowledge of the landlords”, Collector Roy had stated in the December 24 notification.
