PANAJI
Panaji MLA and Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate has expressed concern over the persistent problem of ill-behaved tourists faced by the residents of Sao Tome and Fontainhas.
The Minister feels that the tourism department, police and local municipal body CCP will have to work together to end this menace. Monserrate, who had earlier interacted with the aggrieved locals on the issue, said that “no one is against tourism or well-behaved tourists but what we see or these people experience is rowdy characters… they create nuisance ... disrupt the peace and tranquillity…”
He said that tourists will have to understand how to behave and law enforcement authorities must ensure that. “You just cannot let anyone come and destroy the heritage… They will have to understand that it is not just a commercial lane but first a residential area.”
“We will find some solution to this. I will ensure that the issue is sorted,” he said while maintaining that all the concerned departments will have to work in sync.
He pointed out that the tourism department has erected boards with a set of guidelines for the tourists, but nobody is deployed to enforce them. He also said he would request the department to ensure that the boards are printed in Hindi for a better understanding of domestic tourists.
“Police will have to be deployed to see that tourists follow the rules. It is unfortunate that despite my request, no police are deployed till date,” he said.
