UP govt cracks down on touts, cheats in Agra

UP govt cracks down on touts, cheats in Agra
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, MAY 21: In a bid to ensure that tourists visiting the Taj Mahal are not harassed, the Uttar Pradesh government has launched a special drive to crack down heavily on touts, taxi operators, emporia and even the police in and around Agra for cheating or misbehaviour.

Alarmed at a large number of incidents of cheating, overcharging, misbehaviour and even serious crimes like rape, UP Tourism Director General Desh Deepak Verma has written to the district administration to take 'exemplary action' against unscrupulous elements, officials told PTI here.

In one such incident, a German tourist who was allegedly raped at Etah-Badayun border lodged a complaint and the accused was promptly arrested, they said.

Even in less serious cases, the usual practice of an 'amicable settlement' between the two sides has been done away with and an FIR is lodged whenever such a matter is reported, Verma said in a letter to the Director General of Tourism in the Central government.

A survey conducted by the government found that the biggest impediment to growth of tourism is the fear among visitors that they might be cheated, Verma said and claimed that following the drive, such cases have come down in Agra.

The state administration would not only leave no stone unturned to check cheating, but go a step ahead and officially inform the complainant about the action in that regard, the UP Tourism Director General said.

"The (state tourism) department would not treat these complaints as routine ones and take stringent action," he said.