Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government is gearing up to effectively implement the recently amended Registration of Tourist Trade Act banning drinking and littering on the beaches. Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has finally decided to finalise the authority to penalize people caught in the act.
GTDC Chairman Dayanand Sopte said they will soon finalise the authority to implement the Act. “There is a law and we have to find out how to implement it. Few tourists are spoiling name of Goa by indulging in littering and drinking on the beaches, and we should stop it permanently. I will discuss this issue with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant,” he said.
The State cabinet had recently amended the Act wherein violators would be fined for Rs 2,000 and above and/or imprisoned for up to three years.
Sopte also said that he will visit all the hotels run by the corporation and if required these would be taken up for renovation in a bid to compete with the private establishments.
Sopte also praised Deputy Speaker and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo for utilizing the funds to upgrade tourism infrastructure in his area. Lobo, he said, has implemented the projects worth Rs 50 crore.
