THOMAS FERNANDES
teamherald@herald-goa.com
CALANGUTE : Peter Kurian’s family had a nice evening on the beach till they returned to the hotel, had a shower and went out for dinner at 10.45. On reaching the restaurants they were told to finish eating in 15 minutes. ““With a family, it is near impossible to dine in 15 minutes. We had to remain hungry throughout the night, except for biscuits and other eatables for our children. The shutdown at 11 pm is ridiculous,” lamented Kurian.
Business along the Calangute coast has been badly affected following the Election Commission’s deadline to shut down bars and restaurants by 11 pm.
The deadline, which came into effect from January 25, has affected thousands of tourists, both domestic and international, as they were caught unawares by the EC deadline in the State.
“The tourists had to literally go hungry at night as most of them preferred a late-night dinner after enjoying at the beaches,” informed sources.
Added Saurav Dongre, another tourist from Mumbai: “Closing bars at 11 pm is okay, but why close the restaurants? Does shutting down restaurants or shacks help in any way to curb malpractices at elections?”
“Such a decision will eventually kill the golden goose that lays the golden egg,” added Dongre.
A shack owner, Jade Fernandes opined that the decision to close restaurants, thereby denying food to tourists, is a disaster for the tourism business in
”Authorities should reconsider this decision, especially since tourism is at its peak along the Calangute coast,” he added.
Caitan D’Souza said the closure of bars and restaurants by 11 pm felt like the monsoon period in Calangute, when everything is shut by 9 pm.
While the EC is showing some signs of remorse and is likely to revisit the issue, this comes as little solace till orders are actually passed . Till then, its three cheers to biscuits and water.
