People’s help key to check ills associated with tourism: Goa CM

The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat has said that while tourism has helped the state in many ways a number of negative aspects associated with it also have crept in and that his government has given top priority to rid the state of these problems.

Addressing the gathering at the annual meeting of the Legislators' Forum at the state assembly on Saturday, the Chief Minister said that the ills associated with tourism could not be removed by the government alone and sought people's co-operation to eradicate them. He stated that many people rent out their premises to foreigners, and earn considerable amount as rent, without verifying their antecedents, which was a dangerous step. He also said that laws alone were not enough to eradicate "bad" from the society and that people should also co-operate in this venture with the government.

He also said that a state level branch of the International Centre for cultural Affairs would start functioning in the state in about two months' time and would offer state artists forum to exhibit their talents. He also listed various benefits like NIT, NIFT that the state has got from the central government or was promised.

The Speaker, Mr Pratapsing Rane, who is also the president of the Legislators' Forum, said that elected representatives in the state have played important role in development ever since elected government came into being in Goa. The secretary of the forum, Mr Herculano Dourado demanded that the initial pension of the former MLAs be increased from Rs 13,000 to Rs 18,000.