Stricter rules, more CCTVs at tourist sites to ensure safety
Use of app for tourist registration to be made compulsory; govt to reintroduce fleet of prime vehicles by July
Shillong, June 17: Rules and regulations for tourists visiting Meghalaya are going to get stricter, including a ban on private vehicles ferrying tourists, after the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case.
Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said on Tuesday that the state government has decided to adopt a multipronged approach to ensure the safety of all tourists.
Among the various measures to be taken are compulsory registration of tourists/visitors, installation of closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) at tourist destinations with maximum footfall and the compulsory use of a government tourism app.
All accommodation units will now have to compulsorily register their guests through the tourism app, which is already available. At present, only 60% of the accommodation units use the app.
The government has banned the use of private vehicles for commercial purposes. The government will reintroduce a fresh fleet of prime vehicles by July.
“It will be approximately 50 new vehicles, and we will follow the due process of inviting interested entrepreneurs to access this scheme,” Lyngdoh said.
“More importantly, the decision taken in the Cabinet to revisit the MRSSA and give it more teeth will also help to a large extent for us to be able to control crimes,” he added.
Sohra safety
The minister informed that the government has asked the Sohra Tourism Association to submit a list of vulnerable areas for the installation of CCTVs.
On the alleged decline of tourist footfall following the Indore tourist murder case, the minister said, “There are always ups and downs, but… if there is any decline in footfall, it would not be only because of this one incident. You have to consider the traffic situation in the city, you have to consider the flash floods and water logging at Jorabat — all these also hinder the movement of tourists. These are being resolved.”
Meanwhile, the minister has maintained that the government will no longer file any defamation case since all those responsible for defaming the state have apologised to the state and its people.
