"Goa is safe for tourists": Goa Chief Minister

In the wake of an Israeli government advisory asking its citizens not to travel to Goa due to threats of an Al Qaida attack, Goa Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane said his state was safe for tourists and stringent security measures were in place to protect them. "We have taken all possible steps to ensure security in the state... There is no reason to fear. We are always prepared to tackle anything," Rane said. "Goa is a peaceful state and we want to maintain it like that," Rane said. Chief Secretary J P Singh said he had not received any intelligence inputs warning of possible terror attacks. "Goa is on general alert for the tourist season and it will continue. We are always alert," he said. Israel's National Security Council's counter-terrorism headquarters had said in its advisory that "a concrete threat now exists specifically for the Indian state of Goa, which hosts many tourists, among them Israelis, during late December and over the civil New Year". It said those travelling to Goa "in the next few weeks will be under serious threat of Al Qaida terrorist attacks". A lot of Israelis visit Goa in late December and early January to attend trance parties that have a huge following.

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