Overtourism can be counter-productive
Low budget tourists probably consider Goa under the sky as a home-away-from-home. These tourists sleep under the open sky in the gardens and on the beach sand. They cook by the roadside as they carry with them necessary utensils and LPG gas cylinders. They wash clothes and dry them in the open.
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They bathe themselves at the public taps. Many could even see to it that the state is not Open Defecation Free (ODF). Goa for them is like one big open hotel with the sky as the roof which offers free stay. These tourists bring minimal revenue for the state as the only thing they could be spending on is alcoholic drinks. These low-budget tourists have nothing more than nuisance value. We need to look for quality in tourism and not quantity.
Overtourism is a phenomenon when there are excessive visitors to a particular destination which adversely impacts the lives of local residents, hosts, business owners and also the experience of the tourists. If not controlled, overtourism leads to a serious law and order situation besides adversely impacting the environment in a big way. There is garbage strewn around, noise pollution, air pollution and chaos along with petty crimes such as pickpockets or thefts making the city unsafe. The state government needs to come up with a policy in order to attract quality tourists and to reduce the number of low-budget tourists visiting the state.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Terror financing via Goa’s airports?
Investigations reveal that Pakistani terror outfits based in the Middle East are involved in smuggling gold into the country via the Mopa and Dabolim airports. The modus operandi for smugglers is to target middle/ lower middle class people who are keen on vacations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and other neighbouring countries but who do not have the wherewithal to finance their sojourns.
The smugglers arrange for air tickets and sundry expenses for such gullible people in exchange for bringing back a package containing gold for their supposed ‘relatives’. The ‘mules’ carrying the contraband are instructed to hand over the package to a designated person who then ships it out of Goa to his associates who further sell it for a handsome profit ; the money thus accrued is used to fund terror activities within India. Over the past 3 months @ Rs.10 crore worth of the yellow metal had been seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, this does not bode well for India. Goa being a coastal state, smuggling gold via the sea route is also possible for terrorists. The government of India needs to tighten security controls across all vulnerable states to choke terror funding.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Unemployment sky high in India
India’s unemployment rate has increased to its highest level. Being highly educated doesn’t guarantee jobs anymore. Population is also growing and India overtook China as the world’s most populous country. Whether unemployment an economic issue or a governance failure? The government has been pushing for contractual workers, who get less salary and have no job security. The majority of India’s workforce is vulnerable and leads a precarious existence. The educated youngsters are wandering in search of employment and disappointed. Some of the departments have shortage of employees due to non-filling of vacancies. Attempts to influence or rig the appointments process to monetise scarcity are common. And the response to perceived malpractice or suspect policy shifts can be violent, as recently seen in the case of appointments to the PWD. The government needs to control inflation, generate employment and support workers.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Liquor permits on ‘health grounds’
Gujarat is one State that has liquor prohibition since decades unlike most States where it was experimented ‘off’ and ‘on.’ Hence, it was surprising to read that in the last three years, Gujarat has witnessed a rise of 58% in the number of liquor permit holders.
These are the people above 40 with insomnia, anxiety and hypertensions who apply for permits on ‘health grounds.’ It is a contradiction that generally doctors’ advise people with above symptoms to abstain from liquor while in a dry State they issue certificates for the same so that people can apply for permits and perhaps get ‘cured.’ Is this ‘medical tourism? Or lucre and liquor go hand-in-hand?’
As per Gujarat’s prohibition department, in November 2020, there were 27,452 permit holders, now there are 43,470 proud permit holders. Leading the pack is Ahmedabad with 13,456 permits while Gandhinagar (the capital) has the least 1,851. Backlog cases have reduced and new permits are processed rapidly so that liquor sales can increase. Thanks to the tipple rs, the sales this year upped by 20% as compared to the last year.
Liquor helps to rake in the moolah for any State government and this golden goose cannot be sacrificed, whether a State is ‘dry’ or ‘wet. No doubt tourists flock to Goa!
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Billionaire’s train trip is an eye-opener
It was a surprise as well as delightful to watch Billionaire real estate magnate Niranjan Hiranandani , entrepreneur and co-founder and managing director of the Hiranandani Group travelling by Mumbai local train, ditching his luxurious fleet of cars for a trip to Ulhasanagar.
The unique experience shared by him turned viral with the public appreciating his gesture as it goes to show that public transport systems are truly time efficient, safe and helps one from traffic congestions that bring life and business to horrible stand still in our cities.
Rather than private vehicles using public transport systems definitely helps reduce heavy traffic congestions, reduces pollution and also makes one socially aware and encourages responsibility towards the society.
M Pradyu, Kannur
