Goa: Crackdown on drinking of alcohol on beaches to be intensified

The Goa Government has once again announced that there will be a crackdown on drinking alcohol on beaches. Earlier in January, an announcement on the similar lines was made in which the Goa Government amended the Registration of Tourist Trade Act to impose fines on drinking and cooking on the beaches.

Reportedly, this announcement comes just after two tourists were drowned at Morjim Beach in an inebriated state. While speaking to the media, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that from now on, there will be enforcement of the law to prevent people from drinking on the beaches. He also stated that additional police forces have been pressed into beach safety duties to avoid such unfavourable incidents in the near future. Reports suggest that as per the amendment to the Goa Tourist Place (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001, individual offenders will be fined INR 2000; whereas, if you are in a group, you might end up shelling out INR 10000. Also, any person engaged in the business of selling liquor will not allow its customer to carry cans/bottles containing liquor in tourist places.
While this announcement looks like it will dampen the spirit of the vacationers, it is also expected that this time, the crackdown will help to bring down the number of unfortunate accidents. Earlier, the act was not strictly implemented as the onus was entirely on the liquor sellers, who were not supposed to allow revellers to drink in public.