Thaindian News

Panaji, July 25 (IANS) Beaches in Goa will get even safer for tourists round-the-clock this season, with the state’s tourism department planning to install night vision cameras at more than 30 beaches, an official said Monday.

The tourism department official also said that Goa’s famous churches and other places of religious importance too will be equipped with CCTV cameras as a security measure in the tourist state, which has been on the guard against several terror alerts of varying degrees in the last couple of years.

“It is a part of our infrastructure development programme and is aimed at making our beaches safer for tourists,” state Tourism Director Swapnil Naik told IANS. “We do have cameras on some of the beaches, but the plan now is to install night vision cameras on the popular beaches now, so that we can keep vigil during the late hours too.”

Over 30 beaches spread across the state, including famous beaches like Calangute, Baga, Colva, Arambol - which see lakhs of tourists annually - will be covered with the infra red technology enabled night vision cameras.

“We have already invited tenders for setting up of this system. We have asked for night vision cameras with remote viewing and recording capabilities,” Naik said, adding that the cameras would be installed on lifeguard towers and other strategic locations.

Goa’s beaches have been under a negative spotlight after several crimes were reported against tourists over the last few years, especially foreign women. Naik believes that installation of the camera network will help assure the tourists that they are safe.

Goa attracts nearly 2.6 million tourists annually, of which about half a million are foreigners.