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| April 3, 2012 | Foreign tourist ban in Maoists-affected districts in Orissa | | Rayagada: Local authorities in Orissa have extended a ban on foreign tourists from visiting Maoist-affected areas across the state following the abduction of two Italian nationals. This was also one of the conditions put forward by the Maoists.
Following the incident, authorities enforced the ban in the state’s Rayagada District on March 24. Since then, the ban has been imposed across the state. “In our district we have imposed some certain restrictions on the movement of foreign nationals in our PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) areas, which were earlier known as Primitive Tribal Groups Area. These restrictions have been imposed on the view
of the recent incidents of abductions of foreign nationals which occurred in these
areas. So that is the reason why we have imposed these restrictions,” said Nitin
Bhanudas Jawle, the Collector for Rayagada District. “We will be reassessing our
security situation and we will be taking call on it either way, to allow foreign
tourists in particular areas. But then the district administration wants to inform
that this is purely a temporary measure and it is taken into consideration the
security of the foreign tourists and the foreign nationals in this area. We have
taken this step,” he added. The ban is set to take a toll on the earnings of travel
agents who specialise in organising tours of Rayagada district’s ancient temples.
“This has put a lot of inconvenience suddenly because a lot of groups which were
scheduled for the season upto March or April will have to be cancelled. Adding
to that is that a lot of foreign tourist operators raised their concern about
this issue and they also started cancelling the groups till October. So it is
an area of great concern for the industry and we would like to take it forward
with the government,” said Benjamin Simon, President of the Travel Agents' Association
of Orissa. Italian tourist Claudio Colangelo was taken hostage along with tour
guide Paolo Bosusco while swimming in a river in the state’s remote Ganjam district
on March 14. While Colangelo was released 11 days later to a group of reporters
from Indian news network NDTV, Bosusco remains in the custody of the rebels.
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