Citing the end of tourist season, the Lakshadweep Tourism Department has gone on a massive lay-off drive again.
As many as 193 temporary employees of the department were retrenched, saying tourists had left the islands by the onset of the monsoon.
The authorities said in the order that the ‘surplus’ employees were being laid off for two months, considering the tourism department’s financial health and the number of workers now required.
Incidentally, the department retrenched these many workers barely three weeks after the administrator promised to re-induct the temporary employees who had been laid off earlier.
The tourism department initially laid off 151 people attached to the Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports. Later, 42 employees of the Tourism Corporations’ Diving Academy were asked to leave.
Those employed at the department’s guest houses, resorts, bungalows and canteens were also among those who were laid off. Authorities said the tourism season this year remained mostly inactive, while it was operational only for a few days last year. They also pointed out that temporary workers had been laid off during the off-season in previous years also.
The department said it had retrenched 312 people in 2018-19 and 207 employees in 2019-20.
Praful Patel to reach Dweep on July 14
Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel will arrive in the islands for another visit on July 14. After his previous visit, the Central government has accorded him ‘Y’ category security.
An eight-member detail, comprising two commandos and police personnel, would provide him security.
Intelligence agencies have warned of possible public protests by Lakshadweep residents, with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
