Daijiworld Special Correspondent at Panaji

Panaji, Jul 20: In the wake of a controversy regarding foreigners buying huge plots of lands in Goa, chief minister Pratapsingh Rane on said the state government would urge the Centre to curtail the duration of tourist visas from six months to three months.

"People arriving on tourist visas should not be allowed to stay for six months. Tourists who come to visit Goa usually don't stay here for more than two months," Rane said talking to reporters.

The state government recently revealed that 482 foreigners had purchased some 12 lac square metres of land in the state.

Local activists under the banner of "Goa Bachao Andolan" (Save Goa Movement) had protested against the purchase of properties by foreigners.

The Goa government will write to the Centre, asking it to curtail the tourist visa period from six months to three months, Rane said adding, "If they want to stay here longer, they can come on commercial visas." Admitting that there were certain loopholes in the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) that need to be plugged, he said many foreigners had come here on six-month business visas and met local lawyers and formed companies with locals.

"They come back again to invest in restaurants or some businesses or buy a flat which is rented out. Sometimes, in between, they withdraw all the money and return to their country," Rane said.

The Goa government is yet to ascertain whether those who have purchased properties in the state had come here on business or tourist visas.