Touts harassing tourists on Goa beaches may face externment

Panaji, Mar 21 (PTI) Goa Government is planning to amend the existing laws to stamp out the menace of touts at beaches, with repeated offenders likely to be externed from districts, a senior tourism department official said on Friday.
    This issue was initially discussed during a meeting between the shack owners' association and the police department chaired by State Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte recently.
    "Tourism Department will bring an amendment to the existing Act so that illegal touting stops. Touts who are habitual offenders will have to face stringent action including externment from the district," State Tourism Director Kedar Naik told reporters after chairing a meeting with representatives from the State Animal Husbandry Department, Shack Owners' Association, and Mission Rabies, an NGO.
    The tourism department also decided to take action in cases of dog bites reported from various beaches.
    The meeting discussed the menace of dog bites on seafronts in the wake of complaints by tourists.
    Naik said the Animal Husbandry Department and Mission Rabies have been asked to intensify the drive to sterilise stray dogs on beaches over the next six months.
    "Colva and Benaulim beaches in south Goa and Ozrant beach in North Goa are among a few places where dog bite cases are reported," he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)