Travel
Sites Visit
Goa, Karnataka,
Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh in
South India, Delhi, Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh in North India, Assam, Bengal,
Sikkim in East India |
| |
Puri
plays it safe, tourists to show documents of personal identity Puri:
Now onwards, tourists and pilgrims planning to visit the temple city of Puri in
Orissa will have to show their valid photo identity cards or relevant documents
like passports before they can check in at any of the hotels, lodges and paying
guest facilities. The move was initiated by the Orissa police on July 21 to make
the city safe and secure from anti-social elements. Puri, known for famous Jagannath
Puri temple and beaches, receives annually over five million visitors and nearly
half of them are foreigners. To accommodate the tourists and pilgrims, the city
has about 300 budget hotels and holiday homes, apart from 100 assorted inns and
lodges. Foreign tourists mostly carry valid proofs like a passport with them.
However, a majority of the domestic tourists do not usually carry identity cards.
But henceforth, they are expected to remember and keep one of the authentic documents
of identity with them before planning a visit to the temple city. "For us Puri
is a very safe place... still it's very much necessary to prove our identity for
the betterment of our country as well as to fight against terrorism. It's very
necessary to prove the identity," said Keya Roy, a tourist from West Bengal. With
this move, the Orissa Police is confident of deterring small-time criminals, thieves,
and even terrorists from targeting Puri. Puri's Superintendent of Police, Soumendra
Priyadarshi said that the visitors could show proof of identity such as passport,
voter identity card, driving licence and PAN card. "In case of a family visiting
Puri, only the head of the family will have to show his/her photo identity prior
to checking into a hotel," he added. The owners and managers of hotels and other
modes of hospitality have been instructed to follow the rule and its violation
could prompt stringent action against them. -July
24, 2009 Go
To Top | |
|