One of Goa’s most Iconic and, famed Colva beach, is losing its sobriquet of iconic, thanks to migrant women who bother the hordes of domestic tourists who visit the beach. These women pester tourists to get tattoos done on their bodies. These migrant women are the undisputed rulers on this beach, day in and day out, either due to negligence on part of Tourism Department or Home Department whose men in uniform who turn a blind eye to the activities of these migrants.
In the past, the Tourism Minister was made aware of the harassment meted out by these migrant women hawkers on the beach and while Azgaonkar promised to arrest the hawkers along with the seizure of goods, the situation remains the same, till date.
Sources at The Goan stated that they had come across a group of migrant women hawkers’ right at the entrance of the beach, harassing customers to paint tattoos. Some of the women were even seen following visitors on the beach, and not leaving them alone even after their services were refused.
The local residents are left wondering whether the government’s assurances and promises regarding the issue of hawking are only on paper and not put into practice.
A local resident pointed out that the migrant hawkers station themselves either around the coconut grove or right at the entrance to the beach. “They start their day early morning since Colva plays host to hundreds of tourists early mornings. And, they are found loitering on the beach till the last tourist bus leaves the beach,”
Another Local resident informed that these migrants were further emboldened to carry out their illegal activities in the absence of tourism officials or the police.
In the past, especially during the tourism season, the Police would round up these migrant hawkers and seize their goods, for pestering foreign tourists. During the monsoons though, it’s another story. Neither the police nor tourism officials are seen in the vicinity, even though there are crowds of domestic tourists visiting the world-famous beach.
We do hope that the Tourism Minister gets his act together so that people visiting the beach can enjoy their holiday peacefully.
Source: The Goan
