Though protests among the local people are only sporadic at present - the plan was only recently announced by the state government - questions are being raised about the government's intentions. If the local people are not opposed to the plan per se, they are wondering how much of the tourism pie they will eventually be allowed to feast upon.

``It will do us a lot of good. There will be more money around here,'' says Chandrashekar Teli, a local youth leader from Mhapan village. However, his enthusiasm is tempered by the fear that he may lose his ancestral land to one project or another. ``Initially, when the State Government had declared Sindhudurg as a horticultural zone, we had planted hybrid mangotrees. Now all this will be lost,'' he told The Indian Express.

What's worse, Teli's fears that the concessions on offer will transfer huge tracts of agricultural land to private players, are well-founded. About 66-hectares in Shiroda village and 80 hectares at Mithbav are already being developed as resorts, naturopathy centres and other tourism-related projects by major hotel chains. Another 55 hectares at Mochemad village are also under consideration.

Also, more than 200 hectares of rocky, barren land has been acquired in Chipi-Parola village on the Mhapan plateau. And negotiations are on with local villagers to acquire another 50 hectares of cultivated land.

The locals' fears are also fuelled by the government's resolve to provide land for such projects at 50 per cent below market rates. Says Jayanand Madkar, a Janata Dal leader from Sawantwadi: ``We shall never allow our land to be acquired by the government for a pittance for five-star hotels to be built on it.''

Thanks to oppositionbuilding up at the grass-roots level, minor skirmishes have already been reported between villagers and land survey officials. The situation has also worsened in some places due to land still being vested in the name of absentee landlords. ``We too want a share of the prosperity from tourism,'' says Manohar Gawde, who farms three acres belonging to an absentee landlord. Though fairly well-to do, Gawde fears the mango and cashew orchards, which he has cultivated over the years, will help fill the coffers of his landlord who now lives in distant Mumbai. ``The land records still show the name of the absentee owners. We shall not receive any compensation if the land is acquired,'' Gawde points out.

Local politicians are also egging on the people to demand what is their's. ``While Rs 265 crore will be invested in five-star hotels, only Rs 95 crore has been allotted for basic infrastructure,'' Madkar points out. He says the government should also woo budget tourists, which would help pump in more money into thelocal economy. ``However,'' he underscores, ``the master plan for the district does not contain any suggestion from the local people. We should be allowed to scrutinise the plan before the government takes any decision,'' he remarks.

Meanwhile, activists from Goa, who had objected vociferously to the tourism industry's proposal to set up golf courses and casinos in the state, are now targetting Sindhudurg. Says Roland Martins of the Jagrut Goenkaranchi Fauj (JGF): ``There must be a social audit of the possible effects of tourism before the masterplan is imposed.'' The JGF, which is networking with activists in Sindhudurg, has also raised fears that panchayats in the special tourism areas (STAs) of Sindhudurg could be abolished. ``We are warning the local people to guard against this,'' says Martins.

Meanwhile, the state government is putting up roadshows to sell its plan to the locals, whose cooperation could be vital in making it a success. ``We shall educate the people on the benefits of tourism.Schemes like bed-and-breakfast accommodation will be encouraged so that the local people can benefit,'' says Gulabrao Pawar, deputy collector, Sindhudurg.

But the villagers and local leaders, who question the need for the state government to embark on such an ambitious plan only a year before Maharashtra goes to the hustings, are still not convinced.