PANAJI: Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has called for stringent action against touts operating along Goa’s coastal belt following the alleged assault of journalist Sameep Narvekar at Baga.
Narvekar, a journalist from Calangute, was allegedly attacked by a tout on Friday night after he confronted the individual and warned tourists about tout-related activities. A complaint was subsequently filed at the Calangute Police Station, following which police took the alleged accused into custody.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Khaunte said the Tourism Department has also written to the Goa Police seeking strict action against those involved in the incident and measures to curb the tout menace and ensure the safety of tourists and the public. Khaunte said the Tourism Department has been pushing for a stronger mechanism to deal with touts as part of efforts to make Goa’s tourism sector more inclusive and visitor-friendly. “The Tourism Department is making maximum efforts so that the tourism policy provides inclusive benefits. During tourism discussions under Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, one topic which I have absolutely been running on is the cleansing of touts,” Khaunte said.
He said touts selling water sports and beach tickets, besides allegedly offering unauthorised facilities, damage Goa’s reputation as a tourist destination. Khaunte said he had held a meeting with the Director General of Police and the Tourism Department three days ago to discuss strengthening vigilance along the beaches.
He said the existing Beach Vigil app needs to be upgraded and that the government is examining the use of artificial intelligence-based surveillance, drones and other technologies to improve monitoring. According to the minister, the upgraded mechanism is expected to allow members of the public to report problems continuously, with the authorities acknowledging the complaints and taking action. Khaunte said the DGP and police superintendents had also been instructed to ensure accountability among personnel deployed to monitor coastal areas.
Referring specifically to the incident involving Narvekar, Khaunte said complaints already registered at police stations, including those relating to alleged overcharging and violence at establishments, underline the need for stronger enforcement. “Proper legal sections must be applied by the police to weed out repeat offenders, with direct follow-up by the Chief Minister on this specific matter,” he said. He also called for accountability within the police force where officers fail to act. “Police have to find and fix accountability on the officers who are erring or examine among themselves why they are erring,” Khaunte said.
The minister said the issue should not be viewed solely as a Tourism Department responsibility, stressing that police, local bodies and other stakeholders need to work together. “Ultimately, this becomes a collective responsibility when handling tourism operations, and the Tourism Department expects our police arm to act very strongly on such touts who repeatedly commit these types of offenses,” he said.
Khaunte further said drone surveillance along the coast would be expedited to monitor illegal hawkers, touts and beach-related issues. “In the meeting held three days ago with the DGP, it was decided that we will expedite and ensure that along the coast drone surveillance is deployed which can cover these types of issues—illegal hawkers, touts, and beach cleaning issues,” he said. He added that surveillance should provide real-time monitoring and enable authorities to respond more quickly to complaints.
At the same time, Khaunte said police action should not be delayed until new technology is introduced, particularly as activity along beach belts continues after sunset. Khaunte also called for panchayat members to work collectively with the authorities to address the issue. “Collectively we have to work for better tourism and the cleansing of these issues,” he said
