Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, issued a strong warning to water sports operators who are operating illegally and endangering the lives of visitors.
Khaunte was responding to the events of Sunday when a boat with 24 passengers and 2 crew members became stranded in the middle of the water due to low fuel and unfavourable weather. The passengers and crew members needed to be rescued by the Indian Coast Guard.
The boat’s operator and owner have been taken into custody by the police for putting lives in danger.
According to the minister of tourism, many sports operators operate without obtaining the required No no-objection certificate from his department. In addition, he claimed that a former Captain of Ports official had authorized the operation of water sports without the tourism department’s nod of approval.
According to Khaunte, the water sports companies have overrun the shorelines, leaving no room for visitors to stroll along the beach. According to him, authorities must regulate water sports.
The tourism minister questioned who would have been held accountable if the boat had to capsize with every tourist on board, referring to the incident on Sunday. “Is it right that we held the previous Captain of Ports accountable?” he asked.
According to the minister, he will discuss the matter with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. He declared, “We are warning all water sport operators operating without the necessary permits to cease their operations or else they will have to face the worst ever action.”
In addition, Khaunte declared that he would convene a meeting of all Water Sports Associations in order to obtain information from them and paint a clear picture of the illegal activities occurring on the beaches.
Additionally, he stated that in order to assist in issuing NOCs for the upcoming tourist season, the government will conduct an audit of the beach carrying capacity using an expert agency.
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