RP Sharma

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 4: Police today asked owners of hotels and lodges in twin cities to adopt several security measures, including installation of closed-circuit television cameras, door-frame metal detectors, luggage scanner and submission of occupancy status in regular intervals.

Police commissioner R.P. Sharma today held an interaction with the owners of major hotels of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in this regard. “The visitors need to establish their identity. In case of any suspicious movement, the hotel officials have been asked to inform the police, so that we can verify their antecedent,” said Sharma.

The police said that though a number of major hotels in the city had their own security arrangements, often the security measures were not properly followed.

“With such weak security measures, chances of tourists slipping through contrabands and fire arms cannot be ruled out,” said a senior police official.

Recently, both Cuttack and Bhubaneswar have witnessed a number of crimes in hotels and lodges. A deaf and dumb girl was allegedly raped in a lodge at Barmunda in the city on August 6. But when the police went through the logbook of the lodge, there was no detail of the accused, who was arrested from the same lodge.

Similarly on October 4, a non-resident Odia working in a private airline in Kuwait, was robbed of his belongings worth nearly Rs 5 lakh from a hotel at Master Canteen Square.

The police said that while Bhubaneswar had as many as 147 registered hotels, in Cuttack, the number stood at 69.

Another major concern for the police was the nightclubs and bars operating without valid licence at these places. “Actions against illegal bars operating from hotels and lodges would be taken,” said a senior police official.

The police will convene another meeting with the owners of lodges and dharmasalas on November 12. “The hotel owners were asked to maintain the logbook of the occupants and submit it with the concerned local police regularly,” said a police official.

The hotel owners also welcome the move. “We admit that many hotels don’t have the luggage-scanner facility. It might be because of the huge investment. But, we are ready to co-operate with the police,” said Aditya, a representative of a major hotel in Bhubaneswar.