Margao: Tourism minister Rohan Khaunte on Tuesday called for urgent action against touts operating at tourist spots, saying their presence damaged Goa’s reputation. His remarks came in the backdrop of two viral videos that shook the state’s image in recent days.The first video, reportedly shot in Calangute, features a foreign national alleging that drugs are being sold openly and that law enforcement is complicit in allowing such activity. A second clip, from Baga, purportedly shows a foreign national soliciting clients on a road. The videos have triggered a political storm.Khaunte said he would raise the matter with chief minister Pramod Sawant and pursue it to its “logical conclusion”. “The PI of Calangute police station has changed, and the touts have come back,” he said, adding that the sight of an “international tourist” being approached on the street was an embarrassment for the state.“We started cleaning up touts right from the time I took over as the tourism minister,” said Khaunte.He called on the police to “put their act together” and ensure proper surveillance at tourist spots.
