Hotels in Puri have made it mandatory for tourists to furnish their identity proof to check in from Wednesday. It followed the visit of two top Indian Mujahideen operatives to the beach town and some other places in Odisha in January this year.

On Tuesday, the state government announced that hoteliers must accept identity cards from their guests before allowing them to stay. Puri that attracts more than 80 lakh tourists, including 65,000 foreigners every year, has over 400 hotels.

"All hotels must abide by the guideline. The local tourist officer will regularly inspect compliance of the order. If any hotel is found flouting the norm, we will cancel the trade licence," said tourism director M R Pattnaik.

But the moot question lies whether the practice would actually pay off. Hoteliers are skeptical of its outcome. "We welcome the move. But how will we know whether the tourist shows the original identity proof. We lack the expertise to ascertain the real and fake identity cards," said Srimant Kumar Dash, owner of Hotel Santana.

His apprehension assumes significance as the two IM operatives had checked in two separate hotels in Bhubaneswar by furnishing fake identity cards. Police said the hoteliers should inform police if they suspect the activities of any tourist. "We understand it is difficult to differentiate the real and bogus identity cards. But we request them to keep a close watch on their guests," said a police officer.

(You need to login first to read complete news).
New User? Register for FREE!
» Back to Travel News