Right under the eyes of the Goan authorities -- in fact, with the active assistance of its immigration authorities -- the country's security appears to have been seriously compromised in the guise of tourism-friendly visa procedures.

Immigration authorities are handing out visa on arrival virtually every day to foreign tourists, although India -- unlike Thailand or Indonesia -- does not extend the facility, barring in ``emergent situations'' like death or illness in family, as set down by the norms of the Bureau of Immigration.

But this provision for visa due to human tragedy or emergency has become the norm in Goa. Check out these figures. In 2000, only 28 ``temporary landing facility'' (TLF) -- as these 15-day visas are called -- were granted. In just eight months between October 2007 and May 2008, 1,960 TLFs were issued -- in other words, eight TLFs a day on average.

 What's more interesting is that 90% of the TLFs, say sources, have been issued to Russians for whom Goa has emerged as a favoured destination. It's said that chartered plane-loads come from Russia without visa, and they are being granted entry without any real verification or background check. (For more details, see `Sun, Sand, Subversion?' in today's TOI-Crest edition).

The trend has got the Union home ministry worried. A top official told TOI, ``The number of TLFs are disproportionately high in Goa. It has serious security implications. We will look into it.''

 The ministry is particularly concerned about the fact that many Russian groups may have shady links, especially with drug dealers, and could easily be penetrated by terror groups.