The Rajasthan government has passed an amendment bill which stated that misbehvaiour with tourists would be a cognisable offence and a non-bailable one if repeated.
The amendment has come as tourism is state’s one of the key industries which is visited by lakhs of domestic and foreign tourists every year.
However, the visitors often face problems due to touts, illegal vendors, and undesirable elements.
Therefore, the state government has inserted a new section in the Rajasthan Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) Act, 2010, Section 27-A.
According to section 27-A, “All the offences punishable under the Act shall be cognisable and bailable: provided that the offences punishable under subsection (3) and sub-section (4) of section 13 of the Act shall be cognisable and non-bailable”.
According to Section 13 (3), if an individual commits the subsequent offence of touting the police would arrest him without a warrant. And, on conviction, he would go to jail for up to three years or would pay a fine of up to ₹30,000 or both.
Whereas, as per the Section 13 (4), if someone habitually engages in the practice of touting, then he would be punished for up to seven years or a fine up to ₹1 lakh or both.
The house passed the Rajasthan Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021 with a voice vote.
Welcoming the development, Sanjay Kaushik, secretary of Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators the lapkas pose as guides, mislead and force tourists to shop in order to get a commission and extort money from them. They also harass the tourists.
Sunita Sharma, a national-level tourist guide and executive member of Tourist Federation of India, said touts are not regulated by the government and hence catching them is difficult.
(With PTI inputs)
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