PANJIM: The Small and Medium Hoteliers Association (SMHA) has urged the State government to withdraw the process of submitting details of tourists residing in hotels on a monthly basis before fifth day of every month in e-form mode.
SMHA President Santosh Divkar said that the State government by a notification dated December 29, 2022, under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act 1982, has made mandatory for all persons running hotel business to furnish details of tourists residing in hotels on a monthly basis before fifth day of every month in mode (e-Form XI) as per software developed by the Goa Electronic Ltd (GEL).
“If the required statistics are not submitted before fifth day of every month then it would attract a fine of Rs 10,000 for first default and Rs 25,000 for every subsequent default,” he said.
Divkar said that the Association had filed objections to the draft notification in September last year, and had requested the Tourism Department to keep the notification on hold till they discuss the issue with all stakeholders. But the department did not take any steps to discuss the issue with all the affected hotel owners, rued Divkar.
According to Divkar, most of Association members are operating small hotel/guest house in their premises as self-employment with the help of their family members, who are not much educated or tech savvy and do not use computer/technology for keeping records. Also it is not affordable to invest on engaging any additional person for updating the data on electronic devices/computer and for purchasing the devices, he said, adding that it was difficult for them to submit details as mentioned in e-Form XI under electronic mode software as it will be additional burden to them.
Divkar also complained that the Tourism Department has hiked the renewal fees of “D” category hotels by 566.66 per cent. The annual renewal fee which was Rs 600 was increased to Rs 4,000 per year without any explanation. He said the some of the recent decisions taken by the government for ‘C’ and ‘D’ category hotels run by predominantly by local Goans are completely unfair.
Divkar pointed out that the Goa Police Department has also made it compulsory to give details of the tourist under PATIK software which is already being acknowledged and used in Gujarat by their hoteliers and Home Ministry thereby making it duplication of entries. Therefore, the GEL should coordinate with the Goa Police to obtain the same data and avoid duplication of work as well as save cost and time of the hotel owners/operators and of the Tourism Department.
Providing such details to the GEL, a subsidiary of EDC Ltd is against the Right of Privacy of each guest/tourist, which is a Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Constitution and there is no guarantee that this data might be misused. The guests too want to maintain their privacy and not to pass it further to a third party like GEL, who would collect for Tourism Department and through this, it will be in public domain, he said.
