Panaji : A day after the Goa government admitted to a specific input about a potential terror strike in Goa during the tourist season, Home Minister Ravi Naik Tuesday said the state was prepared to “counter any eventuality”.
“Two platoons of the central security forces are already in Goa. They will be marshalling the beaches and other places of tourist interest,” Naik said.
“All police stations are on alert. Even the coastal security is in place,” Naik said.
The government has issued prohibitory orders in north Goa, which is home to the state’s most popular beaches, including Calangute, Anjuna, Arambol and Baga, apart from several other places of religious interest like the Bom Jesus Basilica, located in Old Goa about 15 km from here.
A statement by the government said that the terror alert was issued “due to the prevailing situation in the country and intelligence inputs regarding terrorist threats to the western coast of India” and threats of anti-social elements planning to commit crime in Goa.
Naik said that advisories had been issued to hotels, bed-and-breakfast lodge owners, religious places and restaurant owners.
Nearly 2.5 million tourists visit Goa annually, out of which nearly half a million are foreigners.
IANS
