Team Herald
PONDA: Around 100 tourist guides from Collem protested on Saturday against a sudden and exorbitant fee hike imposed on trekkers visiting Dudhsagar Falls during the monsoon season.
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The Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has increased its fee to Rs 177, while the Goa Forest Development Corporation (GFDC) has added a fee of Rs 50, resulting in a total hike of Rs 227 effective from August 16. The guides expressed that these fees are being imposed without providing any facilities for trekkers, which threatens their livelihoods.
The guides, who accompany trekkers on a challenging 24 km trek that takes about 8 hours round trip, currently charge Rs 200 per tourist. However, with the government fees rising from Rs 100 to Rs 327, they fear that this increase will discourage trekking and negatively impact their income. They are demanding an immediate rollback of the Rs 227 fee hike and want the forest entry fee to remain at Rs 100 per tourist.
Due to the protest, trekkers who arrived in Collem to enjoy the monsoon beauty of Dudhsagar Falls found themselves stranded at Collem Bazaar. In addition to opposing the fee hike, the local guides made several other demands. Currently, the fee structure includes Rs 200 for the guide, Rs 100 for the Goa Forest entry fee, Rs 177 for the GTDC, and Rs 50 for the GFDC, totaling Rs 527 per trekker. Out of this, the government collects Rs 327 while the guides receive only Rs 200.
The guides emphasized that they work hard to accompany tourists on this demanding trek, and the increased fees could severely impact their livelihoods, as many of them have no other jobs. They are calling for the fees imposed by GTDC and GFDC to be rolled back immediately, allowing only the forest department to charge Rs 100 as the entry fee.
Additionally, they requested that trekking hours be adjusted to start at 6 am and end at 6 pm, and that trekkers be allowed to reach the bottom of Dudhsagar Falls. They noted that simply viewing the waterfall from a distance via a watchtower does not provide the satisfaction that trekkers seek. Previously, trekkers were allowed to access the bottom of the waterfall.
Currently, one tourist guide can accompany up to 8 tourists, but they are requesting an increase to 10. Hundreds of trekkers from Maharashtra, Karnataka, and other states visit Collem to experience the full glory of Dudhsagar Falls during the monsoon season, which officially begins trekking on June 15 each year. The local guides reiterated that the revised fee structure is unjust, as they receive only Rs 200 while the government collects Rs 327 per tourist. They fear that the hike in
fees will discourage trekking altogether.
