PANJIM, MARCH 25
For long the state has been talking about creating infrastructure to attract more tourists. Now the government says it will set up the facilities but the industry has to pay a cess for it.
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat today proposed to levy 5 % cess on room rents of all categories of hotels as infrastructure cess.
He said this is proposed as the government intends to upgrade and provide quality infrastructure to the visiting tourists and to provide better service facilities to them in terms of public utilities, entertainment facilities, maintenance of places of touristic importance.
For the first time perhaps, the government has mentioned plans to provide entertainment facilities like radio control cars, skate board, dirt course for motorbikes, gas balloon tourism, speed cruises and zorb ball.
The government also announced plans to undertake a Critical Area Space Plan for Sinquerim-Calangute-Baga beach belt on a pilot basis.
This study, the chief minister said, would help bring out the way forward in these areas with regard to environment, solid waste management, sewage and sanitation, development control rules, road network, regulations, etc. The chief minister said this is in line with the recommendations made in the draft regional Plan 2021 by the Task Force.
This stretch in particular has seen the most unplanned haphazard development in the last 20 years.
