Hampi has a problem: Unregistered homestays

Koppal: Unregistered homestays are mushrooming in and around Hampi, taking advantage of lax regulations even as they put the safety of tourists who visit the world heritage site at risk.

These homestays have come under the scanner following the horrific gang-rape incident near Sanapur lake in Koppal district, leading to a police raid on Monday night amid the outrage over the crime.

Deputy directors (DD) of tourism in Koppal and Vijayanagara districts, which have most of the monuments of Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority (HWHAMA), said not a single homestay in and around Hampi have registered their property with the department as mandated by the government, revealing the extent of the problem.

While officials are in the dark on the number of homestays, locals estimate that there are at least 230 unregistered homestays in Kamalapur, Kaddirampur and New Hampi villages in Vijaynagar district.

But no such estimates are available for Anegundi, Anjanadri, Basapur and Sanapur area of Koppal, where foreign tourists visiting Hampi usually stay.  

Both officials and locals agree on one thing: that unregistered homestays compromise the safety of visitors. They don't undergo a police background check, they don't get a no-objection certificate from local bodies and they don't have the requisite permission from the tourism department.

Registration of homestays will ensure that operators will follow the rules of not allowing tourists to go to isolated places late in the evening, give the visitors a complete list of dos and don’ts when in Hampi and also facilitate the visitors to stay at safe locations, said a senior police official from Koppal.  

But that doesn't seem to be the case in Koppal. Koppal tourism Deputy Director Nagaraj D said said they were "not aware of the total number of homestays functioning in Koppal". "We don’t have powers to ensure the homestays register with us," Nagaraj said.

Vijaynagar Tourism Deputy Director Prabhulinga S T said that none of the functioning homestays in the HWHAMA area have permission. “To commercially run a homestay, they need approval and permission from police, panchayats and tourism department,” he said.

Homestay owners blame the administration for the chaos.

“There is a confusion among officials regarding who should issue the certificate — the panchayat, tourism department or HWHAMA," said Hanumantappa, owner of a homestay. "We have to run from pillars to post for various documents. Before 2011, majority of Janatha plot owners near Veerapurgadda used to run guest houses, after our houses were demolished there, we have been running the same in Kaddirampura." 

Manjunath Gouda, a tourist guide at Hampi, said the government is not providing basic facilities, including budget friendly and safe stay for tourists. “There is also a need for regularising homestays in and around Hampi,” said Gouda.

After the Sanapur incident, district administrations and police officials of Koppal and Vijayanagara have instructed homestays to follow the guidelines.

On Monday night, Koppal SP Ram L Arasiddi conducted a raid on homestays in Sanapur and Basapur. He warned homestays that were serving alcohol, which is against the rules. He also seized 15 two-wheelers which were rented to tourists without proper documents.

On Tuesday, Vijaynagar Deputy Commissioner M S Diwakara and SP Shrihari Babu B L held a meeting with tourism stakeholders in Kamalapur and instructed them to register homestays with authorities.

They also asked them to install CCTV cameras at their properties and maintain details of all the visitors to their property.