Undertake foreign tours after necessary approvals: Ajgaonkar

Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar Wednesday refuted allegations that he had taken his family members along with him on a state-funded tour to Dubai.

Ajgaonkar is under fire over his participation in the travel mart from the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and the Congress.

The TTAG has said such foreign junkets have failed to increase tourist inflow to Goa, which is witnessing a slump in tourism.

"What government officials in such delegations do is that they exchange their visiting cards with travel agents and return to Goa. They then get transferred to other departments, so that the follow-up process ends there itself. Such trips are nothing but a wasteful expenditure," said TTAG president Savio Messias.

On Tuesday, state Congress president Girish Chodankar had said that Ajgaonkar was spending public money for overseas junkets for himself and his kin in the name of promotion of tourism.

Issuing a statement, Ajgaonkar has urged tourism stake-holders to refrain from criticism and work hard to bring discipline in tourism business in Goa.

"All my official foreign tours are undertaken only after obtaining prior approvals and permissions from all concerned authorities. My family members have taken care of their tour expenditure individually and the government has not spent anything on their expenses.

"Those who seek any clarifications can do so by filing application under RTI," he stated.