The North Goa Police has ordered a crackdown on drinking in public places, PTI reported on Thursday. From now on, anyone found drinking in the open will be arrested.
The crackdown was launched after a meeting among shack owners, representatives from the tourism sector and officers of Goa’s Calangute Police Station. Superintendent of Police (North Goa) Karthik Kashyap said he had asked his officers to take into custody those found drinking in public under Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
“Kashyap [also] called upon the general public to inform the police about such incidents so that action can be taken against the offenders,” read a statement.
The meeting was held following complaints of broken pieces of glass being strewn across beaches. “We received a lot of complaints – both from tourists as well as locals – about people cutting themselves on broken liquor bottles while walking on beaches and swimming in the sea. Therefore, we have given instructions to the police to crack down severely on drinking on beaches,” the SP said, according to IANS.
Although a ban on drinking in public places is already in place, rarely is any action taken. In August last year, the state government had introduced amendments to the Excise Duty Act, 1964, and made drinking in places identified as “No Alcohol Consumption Zones” a punishable offence. People caught drinking in such places can now be fined Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000.
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