Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a letter to the state tourist department, the North Goa Child Welfare Committee (CWC) criticized hotels and lodges for booking rooms for children without confirming their identification.
The letter comes after the CWC carried out a rescue operation in Calangute that resulted in the recovery of four Gujarati fugitives. In Baga, they were discovered lodging at a lodge.
An adult was arrested as a result of the operation with police support, and three children were saved and taken to Apna Ghar in Merces.
CWC Chairperson Esther Torres, together with members Andrea Pereira, Snehal Salgaonkar, and Adv. Chandan Shirodkar, issued the letter.
They were lodging in the “Bevan Guest House/Bevvan Resort” in Baga, according to CWC.
The committee was startled to discover during the investigation that the hotel had only taken the adult’s ID, allowing the minors to stay without being checked.
The letter said, “This is a serious legal violation and a compromise on safety, putting minors in a grave and vulnerable situation.”
The CWC also pointed out that hotels and lodges have been breaking the law and ignoring government directives for guest accommodations in a number of recent high-profile cases.
To stop more infractions, the committee has requested the tourist agency to take strict measures against these establishments.
