TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s star is on the ascendancy, so to say.
GTDC is on the expressway to becoming a power unto itself given the number of functions that have already been transferred to it, over the last eight months. Though it is a Corporation, it has eclipsed its parent the Tourism Department and has become far more powerful.
Starting with the transfer of infrastructure development projects to it by the government and being declared the Special Purpose Vehicle, it has gone on to virtually executing every possible tourism-related activity.
As of now the GTDC executes all tourism road shows and travel marts in India and abroad and decides events to be held in Goa. It has its very own panel of big names in the tourism consultancy sector and controls all print and visual tourism promotion activities.
Even a part of the water sports policy pertaining to empanelment of water sports operators is controlled by it and it has its very own panel. GTDC has also introduced the first of its kind white water rafting adventure sport in Sattari and has plans for more adventure activities to offer visitors to Goa in the months to come.
On the other hand, the Tourism Department is saddled with administrative and legal issues that are increasing manifold.
Chairman of the GTDC Nilesh Cabral when quizzed on these interesting developments said, “It is true that the GTDC has become a powerful government agency during the last couple of months”.
He, however, played down rumours of him being a threat to Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar saying, “Whatever is being chalked out for the GTDC is with the consent of the minister”.
“The Corporation is powerful on paper,” Cabral said adding that right now it was struggling to get funds from the Centre for tourism infrastructure development works.
“The Tourism Department has key jobs of planning while the Corporation does the execution,” he explained.
But is the planning section from the Tourism Department also being shifted to the GTDC? The answer appears to be yes.
However, Corporation officials are silent on its voluntary retirement scheme meant to ease out excess staff at a time when the Corporation has huge projects on its platter. Cabral, however, said that they would take on personnel and professionals on contract if required.
But it appears that excess staff from Tourism Department would be transferred to the Corporation, which is the last straw in the camel’s back.
