On a day when Governor Mridula Sinha exhorted Goans to ‘protect their age-old culture’, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) based in Pune, declared Republic Day a ‘dry day’ sending for a toss our culture, state economy and our proverbial Goan hospitality. The last day of the wine festival which was on Republic Day was the worst to suffer. India is perhaps the only country where festivals and National Days are ‘celebrated’ by declaring them dry days.
Goa is a tourist hotspot which sees a marked increase in tourists during weekends. When these weekends are combined with national holidays the number of tourists increase exponentially. It is during these days that our economy blooms, our hotels are full, taxi drivers, eateries and shops do a roaring business. If this trend of declaring ‘dry days’ continues, tourism will be adversely affected.
Take for instance, Independence Day week end which is likely to be the longest weekend this year. The national holiday falls on Saturday, followed by Sunday, with Tuesday also a holiday because of Parsi New Year. The state govt must take up the matter with the centre and ensure that no further damage is done to the state economy.
Prof Robert Castellino, Calangute
