Alappuzha: The district police has tightened the vigil on homestay units in the district in view of the recent terror strikes in Sri Lanka. The special branch police and tourism police will conduct routine checks on homestay units, many of which are being run without registration. There are 400 registered homestay units in the district. Checks have been intensified in houseboats, hotels and resorts also.
Many homestays accommodate foreign tourists without keeping C-form which contains their travel details. Mr K.M. Tomy, district police chief, said that the local police will submit a report on homestay units in their jurisdiction.
“The report will be vetted by a team, including two district special branch officers and the DySP concerned,” he said.
Alappuzha is thought to be a safe haven for illegal tourists and migrants. The number of homestay units has increased during the last couple of years.
In 2016, the government had come up with a new set of guidelines to monitor and classify them based on the facilities and quality of accommodation provided to the tourists. There are at least 800 homestay units across the state as per the government data.
They have been classified as Class A, B and C categories.
