Built villa for homestay; Goa government issues notice to Yuvraj Singh!

Panaji: Yuvraj Singh has been summoned for a hearing on December 8 by the Goa tourism department after it was claimed that he listed his villa in Morjim as a homestay on the internet without registering it with the appropriate state agencies. The Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982 requires homestays to register with the tourism department.

Rajesh Kale, the deputy director of tourism, demanded the all-rounder come before him on December 8 at 11 am for a personal hearing on the case in the notice he sent to the cricketer’s property, ‘Casa Singh,’ in Morjim, North Goa, on November 18. The 40-year-old batsman is asked in the notice why he should not face criminal charges (with a fine of up to one lakh rupees) for failing to register the property under the Tourist Trade Act.

The notification stated, ‘It has come to the undersigned’s attention that your residential property located at Varchewada, Morjim, Pernem, Goa is purportedly operating as a hostel and is being listed on internet platforms like Airbnb’.  The department has also cited a tweet from Singh in which he announced that he will be hosting an exclusive stay for a party of six at his Goa house, exclusively through @Airbnb. The tweet had stated, ‘This is where I spent time with my loved ones and the home is loaded with memories of my years on the pitch’.

According to the department’s notification, ‘before running a Hotel/Guest House, every individual intending to do so must apply for registration to the Prescribed Authority in the Prescribed way’. As a result, a notification explaining why legal action shouldn’t be taken against you for failing to register under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act of 1982 was sent to the person.

The officer summoned Singh to appear for a hearing and warned that if no response was received by the deadline, which was set for December 8, ‘it will be assumed that the grounds mentioned in the notice are correct and on such assumption under Section 22 or in violation of any of the provisions of the Act, you shall be punishable with a fine which may extend up to one lakh’.