Liquor drinking banned on Goa beaches
PTI, PANAJI | 24 April 2013 15:49 IST
Goa government has banned drinking liquor on beaches in a bid to curb littering and nuisance caused to women tourists.
However, one can continue to enjoy drinks at designated places like beach shacks, Goa Tourism Director Nikhil Desai told PTI.
"The ban has been imposed under Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act which gives the right to the state government to ban things which create nuisance in the tourism zones. The act envisages to protect and maintain the tourist places from deterioration and erosion and preserve the tourism potential", he said.
India Reserve Battalion (IRB), a wing of Goa Police, manning the law and order on beaches, is asked to implement the order with immediate effect. "The violation will attract arrest", Mr Desai added.
He clarified that the prohibition order is not applicable to drinking in licensed shacks or any other places where retail sale of liquor is allowed.
The ban is the fallout of mounting complaints by tourists getting injured by broken bottles littering beaches and of nuisance against women tourists by drunk hoodlums loitering beaches.
A favoured tourist destination, Goa attracts around 2.4 million tourists annually, chunk of whom are domestic.
It's alright,I well come the move, But what about the goans familys who go out on picnics and seniors who just go relex and that has been long tradition
I feel rule should be applicable only few famous beaches where liberty is abused.
We goans are fun loving, and we should be allowed to have FUN.
Thank you
A Mandatory" refundable Deposit", paid at the point of Sale /Purchase on bottles & then re-imbursed on return of the offending items, may go someway in curbing the menace.
Bins at the point of entry to the beach locations may be another idea to be considered.
This may not eliminate the problem, but may go some way in reducing it.
TV & Poster Adverts, may be an idea to educate people too, other than schools.
Indians are well known, to keep their house clean, but desecrate everything, outside of it.