Goa Beaches Have Banned Alcohol

"The legislature of the state of Goa approved the amendment on tourism according to which drinking alcoholic beverages, cooking and scattering of waste on beaches and in tourist places will be punishable", the RIA Novosti agency reports, with the reference to the Hindustan Times.

Those who violate the ban will have to pay a penalty of 2000 rupees (28 US dollars). People drinking alcohol in groups of more than two will pay 10 000 rupees (140 US dollars) each. Those who avoid penalty will carry a more severe punishment – a 3-month imprisonment.

"Tourists will have a choice: to go to a legal civilized bar or to end up behind the bars", the Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar notes. It is also worth noting that the responsibility for the new law observance is imposed not only on tourists, but also on those who sell alcohol.

If someone is caught on the beach with an alcoholic drink, they will be asked to point to the seller of this drink. The introduction to the bill draft says that it is aimed at protection and preservation of tourist places in Goa, as well as their tidiness and decriminalization.