CALANGUTE: Goa has lost its lustre as an attractive tourism destination because of being taken in the wrong direction, Congress Lok Sabha candidate Ramakant Khalap said at Calangute on Saturday during his election campaign.
Khalap said panchayat members, ZPs, MLAs and MPs, all need to introspect about the direction that tourism in Goa is headed so as to take corrective action. “Our land which was known as a beautiful jewel, has now gone in the wrong direction – this is what people say today. Because of this, we no longer get good tourists,” Khalap said, referring to Swami Brahmeshanand’s recent comments comparing Calangute to Thailand.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Despite being an MP for five terms and Union Minister of State for Tourism, Shripad Naik has never been seen or heard to do something for Goa’s tourism industry, Khalap said. “Besides tourism, mining was the biggest industry in Goa, but Manohar Parrikar, when he was chief minister around 10 years ago, shut down mining activity leaving lakhs of people without a source of income. Did Shripad Naik even once raise his voice in the Lok Sabha about restarting mining?” Khalap, a former Union Minister, queried.
The Congress candidate for North Goa said various steps need to be taken to ensure that future generations of Goans are not starved of land in their own homeland, referring to the controversies over rampant conversion of land and the various amendments and ordinances being brought by the BJP state government to regularise illegalities.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar, Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira, Calangute Block Congress Committee members, and AAP representatives were also present. Khalap later addressed corner meetings in Saligao and Siolim Assembly segments.
