This is not the new story, and the business has been carried out by the tourists (foreigners) for several decades in the state but, now it is becoming an issue for the locals, and they are coming out in a protest of the same. With the time, more and more foreigners have started looking at Goa as a potential place for having fun and doing the business at same time. There are several hundreds of foreigners visit Goa every year on the tourist visa and many of them end up getting either employed here or start their own business…
Goa is one of the most sought-after tourism destinations, the tourists from all over the world travel to this tiny state. According to Goa Tourism statistics, every year around 6 million tourists, from all over the world. flock to Goa, and that makes this place even more potential for generating the huge revenue. The Russians are traveling to Goa more in numbers, compared to any other tourists, from across the world.
In the due course of time, looking at the opportunity, the foreigners had started setting up their base, into this tiny state, and the north Goa beach belt has become the major attraction of the foreigners. Morjim is a famous beach, situated in the extreme north of Goa, and due to the Russian population, this place becomes famous as Mini Russia in Goa.
The foreigners Started working at various positions, while on their vacation, on a tourist visa, and slowly they started getting into various businesses. But, all these become possible only due to the greed of local people, who are now blaming the foreigners. According to the sources, the locals had started letting out their places, and businesses to the foreigners, for the greed of making more money.
The news published in various newspapers, claims that locals are now irked over the foreigners running the business in Goa, while on their tourist visa. According to the reports, the locals are worried about their bread and butter, as most of the businesses have been captured by foreigners, in the North Goa Coastal Belts, like Morjim, Ashvem, Mandrem, and Pernem. Locals say that, due to foreigners conducting business here, they are losing business.
According to reports, out of three foreigners that have been nabbed by the police at Arambol and Morjim, two of them were a husband and wife duo fined Rs. 5000 each while the third was fined Rs. 20,000. The sources have revealed that the quantum of fines has been levied on the tourists deepening on the gravity of the violations.
The Pernem area in North Goa and Palolem in South Goa had been in the limelight for such activities for decades. In the year 2009 the then Home Minister of Goa, Shri Ravi Naik had brought this issue to the notice of BJP MLA and Laxmikant Parsekar abut the foreigners doing the business in the state. Mr. Ravi Naik was replying to the unstarred question of Mr. Parsekar. “They run businesses like hotels, guest houses, bars, coffee shops, fabrication, and welding, selling laser items, cloth shops, export of wooden furniture besides real estate,” Ravi Naik said.
According to the sources, police keeps catching the foreigners for the violations but it is not even the tip of an iceberg. Here the latest news talks about the 3 foreigners while in 2014 around 4 were caught for working in the state on a tourist visa with the fines of Rs. 2000 each, which is peanut for them, as each of them works in Goa for a huge amount of money.
The quantum of violators is almost 50 fold compared to the detection. According to the locals, there is a high number of foreigners doing business in Goa, but authorities are unable to keep a tab on them. Most cases that are booked are from the coastal belt of Pernem. The Arambol and Morjim beaches have a high concentration of Russian and Kazakh tourists.
The locals are worried about their bread and butter as most of the businesses have been captured by the foreigners in the North Goa Coastal Belts like Morjim, Ashvem, Mandrem, and Pernem. Locals say that due to foreigners conducting business here, they are losing business.
Meanwhile, the Pernem PI Sandesh Chodankar said that the cops have investigated complaints as and when they received them. “We write to the FRRO whenever foreigners are arrested for violations of visa conditions,” he said.
According go the Pernem Police station Incharge, the most common complaint by Pernem taxi operators is that some Russians operate illegal taxi services. Chodankar said that it is not easy to prove such cases as there is no ban on either driving or riding by foreigners. “The complaints received, nonetheless, are investigated,” he said.
Some locals also complain that Russian tourists in Arambol and Morjim operate guesthouses. “Russian tourists function in that fashion. It is an open secret,” said a local.
All the Concerns raised by the locals is correct and fair. It is very much evident that the foreigners are involved in many businesses, that are run by locals but, not without the support of locals. For example, if the foreigners run a guest house, or runs a cab business, that means, they are running these businesses in association with locals, and hence even the locals are responsible for this. What are your views on this, please share it in the comments section.
SOURCE: VARIOUS SOURCES
