Bhubaneswar, June 23 (IANS) Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Pravati Parida stated on Monday that Odisha tourists don’t require special permission from their home countries to visit the state.

Answering media queries over the Level-2 travel advisory issued by the US State Department, Parida said on Monday: “I was checking with the data and found that the number of American tourists visiting Odisha is very negligible. The US may find the rapid development of India a threat, and for this, they are making such assertions. But I don’t feel Odisha or any other state in India are in such a situation that tourists will visit that region after getting permission from their country. Every country is free to make laws for its citizens. However, India is safe under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

The Tourism Minister also highlighted the prompt action taken by police following the college student gang rape incident at Gopalpur beach in Ganjam district on June 15 that shocked the whole nation.

Emphasising the state government’s concerns over women’s safety, she asserted that police succeeded in arresting all the accused involved in the shameful incident within just a few hours of the incident.

She also informed media persons that the state government has already held two meetings mulling steps to increase security at various tourist spots and lovers’ points in the state, and a decision in this regard will be taken soon.

Speaking on the issue, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan stated that the US travel advisory is a diplomatic issue which will be addressed diplomatically by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Earlier, the opposition Congress and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had targeted the state government over the travel advisory issued by the US State Department, alleging deterioration of the law-and-order situation in the state under the BJP-led government.

Senior BJD leader Arun Sahoo has alleged that the advisory issued by the US government corroborates the party’s claim that the law and order situation has collapsed in Odisha, and incidents of women facing sexual abuse and other atrocities increased during the last year under the BJP-led state government.

He also accused that Moist activities, which were suppressed during the BJD-led government, are rearing their head again in the state.

Notably, the US has recently issued a Level-2 travel advisory for several states in India, including Odisha, asking its citizens travelling to these states to “exercise increased caution” due to crime, especially targeting women and terrorism threats.

–IANS

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