TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Cracking down on irregularities committed by water sports operators, the Tourism Department on Tuesday shut down water sports activities at Gaurawado in Calangute stating that there was no proper management of the queue system resulting in confusion and haphazard conduct of business earlier this week.
A senior Tourism Department official said that the flying squads have been activated and the coastal police have been directed to keep a close watch on water sports activities and to immediately report violations to the department.
The department has also asked for a report on the parasailing incident reported in Herald on Monday and pointed out that there was improper management of the queue system at Colva and several other places along the beach belt where water sports activities are being carried out.
“Many do not have safety equipment,” the official said, adding in many cases water sports operators have not even taken licences.
The tourism department has warned of stern action against water sports operators violating rules and regulations and has also threatened to stop water sports activities in case of repeated violations. The department proposes to verify all licences obtained by water sports operators which include licences from the Captain of Ports department and NOC from Fisheries department.
The water sports operators have also been directed not to leave their water sports equipment on the beach which could create congestion and block access to the waterline. “The equipment should be in the designated areas in the water and should also not create any obstruction for swimmers,” said the department official.
The tourism department is also working on introducing uniform guidelines for the single window system for queues and a uniform tariff, it was disclosed.
