Mangalore: Police Action Against Unauthorized Home Stays Soon
Prakash Samaga
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Aug 1: Following the Morning Mist Home Stay attack incident, officials seem to have awoken to the existence of unauthorized home stays in the city.
Sources at the regional tourism office in Mangalore told Daijiworld that there are only three home stays in the district that are approved by the tourism department, and all others are illegal.
A list of illegal home stays will soon be provided to the superintendent of police and the city police commissioner and action against such home stays is expected in the near future.
The three approved homes stays are ‘Shruthashraya’ in Beltangady which is owned by one Shwetha, ‘Shree Mookambika’ in Bejai owned by H T Roopa R Rao, and Urban Retreat in Pilikula, owned by Suresh Mathias.
Once the home stay gets approved by the tourism department, a nominal fee has to be paid to the department annually. Morning Mist Home Stay was not approved by the tourism department.
Maniswamy Nilakantan, PSI, Kankanady rural police station, said that if the list of unauthorized home stays is given to the police department, they can take direct action against them. As of now, they are unable to inspect any home stays as there are chances of some owners having gotten licenses from the local body. The police force cannot handle civil offences unless there is evidence to prove the offence as criminal in nature.
Currently, the district magistrate holds the responsibility of approving the home stays on the recommendation of the tourism department. Now, with the tourism department itself deciding to give a list of unauthorized home stays to the police department, serious action against illegal structures is anticipated.
U Jithendranath, assistant director of tourism department in Mangalore, confirmed to Daijiworld that a list of all home stays which are functioning without approval will be handed over to the city police commissioner and the superintendent of police in a short time.
The MCC as well as the state tourism department have already issued notices on Morning Mist Home Stay and asked owner Loretto Rebello to furnish details on whether it is a residence or a commercial establishment.
It is said that though the home stay is registered as a residential property, but is being rented out for commercial benefits at Rs 10,000 a day.
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