TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Cheers and jeers poured in over the recent Excise Department directive imposing restrictions on sale and serving of alcohol, which is likely to impact both the liquor and hospitality industry.
The President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa Francis Braganza said, “The decision of the government regarding closure of wholesale liquor outlets by 9 pm is a step in the right direction and will stop consumption of liquor on the streets and beaches.” According to Braganza, “Goa was acquiring a reputation as a cheap liquor destination on account of such wine stores remaining open late into the night.”
The TTAG chief felt that there should be ban on wholesale liquor shops close to the beach as it deprives regular stand alone restaurants and shacks of their business.
“If we propose to project Goa as a high end destination, wholesale liquor shops on the beach or near it should go. It is a wise decision of the government and needs to be applauded,” Braganza said.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa has said that IRB should be placed at various beaches after 6 pm, to implement the ban on unauthorised vendors roaming around the beaches selling liquor illegally.
The IRB is also required to control misbehaviour by tourists as a result of cheap liqour sold by the wholesale wine stores.
It also mulled the proposal that Drishti, the agency appointed to save tourists and do night patrolling, should also be given the responsibility of implementing the ban of liquor consumption in public places.
The TTAG feels that there is a need to crack down on drunken driving by tourists between 3 pm till midnight.
“As regards timings for bars and restaurants it is necessary to see that bar timings should not be confused with restaurant timings. Restaurants can be open for 24 hours as they are open in many tourist destinations around the world,” Braganza said.
Giving a clearer insight into the latest Excise department circular, TTAG chief said that the timings of bars in starred hotels more so in A, B and C category hotels has not been reduced. They will continue to get licences to keep their bars open upto 5 am.
The timings limit of regular stand alone restaurants till now was 11 pm, extendable by one hour to 12 am. This timing has now on the contrary been extended to 1 am without increasing the fee.
“These stand alone restaurants, now, will not be entitled to bar licences upto 5 am. Earlier they were allowed to take monthly licences upto 5 am during peak period which has now been withdrawn,” Braganza said adding that this would also affect the night spots, late night bars and restaurants and discotheques in the coastal belt which are not attached to any starred hotel.
They will have to shut down like the regular stand alone restaurants latest by 1 am in case they have an extended licence. Effectively there is no reduction of timing of bars in category hotels.
Gaurish Dhond, president of Association of Hotels and Restaurants felt that the excise department circular is too harsh on serving of liquor by stand alone restaurants through curtailment of timings.
He said hotels and restaurants are peeved by this and “we will strongly take up this matter with the government,” Dhond said.
