Additional vehicles to Dudhsagar upset tour operators oHERALDo BY P K PATIL
COLLEM, FEB 12 - Too many cooks seem to be spoiling the broth at the famed Dudhsagar waterfalls. The Collem Tour Operators Union (CTOU) is irked with the government for approving 20 additional vehicles for transporting tourists between Collem and Dudhsagar. In a letter, Mollem Range Forest Officer (Wildlife) Arun Heblekar informed the president of the CTOU that the government had approved 20 vehicles and that, the Deputy Conservator of Forest (Wildlife and Eco-tourism) at Panjim would register the vehicles for operation between Collem and Dudhsagar. Located 65 kms north-east of Panjim, Collem is a major tourism spot in the State, with the famed Dudhsagar waterfalls 14 kms away from the village. Earlier, tourists used to reach the waterfalls by rail, but since this service was stopped, tourists were forced to travel by road. Sensing business opportunities in the area, people from Collem and surrounding areas would transport tourists to the waterfalls. At present, there are about 95 vehicles plying along the route. But as the number of vehicles kept increasing and with the ensuing quarrels among tourist operators, the operators were directed to seek special licence from authorities. "There were 69 jeeps in 2001 and it extended to 85 jeeps in 2004. There are guidelines from the government and the number cannot exceed 85 jeeps," CTOU President Ashok Khandeparkar told Herald. "The Congress government came into power and without taking the CTOU into confidence, approved 20 more vehicles for operation between Collem and Dudhsagar," he added. According to committee member Sanjiv Thorat, unemployed youth from Collem and Mollem had purchased jeeps by availing of bank loans. "There is hardly any business for the existing tour operators and moreover, business here operates for only six months in a year," Mr Thorat added. Another resident, Janaba Lambar, estimated that there are 250 families dependent on the business of operating jeeps, while Socorro Mascarenhas explained that each jeep operator pays annually Rs 6,000 as passenger tax, Rs 1,000 as road tax and Rs 5,000 as entry fee, besides spending additional for insurance and maintenance of vehicles. CTOU Treasurer Tukaram Kavlekar stated that the government should survey the existing business, before approving additional permits to transport tourists between Collem and Dudhsagar.
