Goa Government withdraws Section 144 ahead of famous Goa Carnival

The North Goa administration has withdrawn Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) after facing backlash from the stakeholders of the tourism industry and the opposition.
The state government announced the withdrawal on Monday, nearly a week after the tourism industry suffered a huge setback, also following criticism from various sections of the society.

The said notification dated February 10, 2020, created fear and panic among the locals and tourists, with some also cancelling their travel plans to Goa. Also, the world-famous Goa carnival will begin on February 22, which is also looked upon as one of the reasons to withdraw the order.
The opposition parties had questioned the move of imposing Section 144 of CrPC for 60 days, and were of the view that this would adversely affect the tourism industry. However, the recent circular states that the order issued under Section 144 of the CrPC stands withdrawn with immediate effect.
The stakeholders of the tourism industry and the opposition had also slammed the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led government for the indiscriminate use of Section 144, particularly during the peak tourist season. Tourism stakeholders also stated that invoking Section 144 of the CrPC inflicted a huge blow to the already limping industry, and the need of the hour is the government reassuring tourists that holidaying in Goa was safe.

Referring to this, the North Goa collector added that that order was just a precautionary measure to heighten alertness, especially to impose tenant verification on all the owners of residential accommodations, paying guest accommodations, private guesthouses, so that proper verification is carried out before letting out the premise on lease, hire, or rent basis.