The beach is a huge attraction for tourists both domestic and international visiting Goa. The shacks, the relatively safe waters and the availability of cheap alcohol bring tourists in droves to the beach. It is not unusual to see tourists consuming alcohol on the beach and leaving bottles and cans behind. That can lead to some serious accidents. Earlier in the week a ten year old boy who was on an extended holiday in Goa was left in tears after broken glass pieces pierced into the left palm of the child’s foot. He had to undergo a two hour surgery. His dreams of becoming a sportsman have now been reduced to just that. This is just the recent one in a long list of similar incidents over the years.
Last year in December this paper reported similar incidents from on December 24 to 31. The government has banned drinking on the beach but it still continues. The shacks sell alcohol to its customers and it is not uncommon for some to move around on the beach. Can they exercise more caution or should the authorities step in with a force to tackle this problem.
Cruz Cardozo President Goa Shack Owners Association said he would not deny the fact that this was a problem which needed to be handled firmly. He said “Yes, domestic tourists and some foreigners throw bottles or glasses on the beach. These people go over to the wholesale dealers, pick up their alcohol of choice and walk over to the beach and consume it. This happened a lot in the rush between Christmas and New Year. I had suggested to the late CM Parrikar that we only sell cans in the area. This would sort this problem immediately. Unfortunately, he is not here now but that suggestion was not followed.”
Cardozo felt perhaps time had come for retail outlets and shacks in the area to take a deposit for the bottles of beer sold. This would make them return the bottles instead of leaving them on the beach. Asked if an agency ought to be in place to ensure such incidents did not reoccur, he felt the police could help out in ensuring such incidents were not repeated. He however felt it was time for the authorities to impose a very stiff fine on those found leaving beer bottles behind. He said “This problem is getting worse and a stiff fine will make people rethink their actions.”
Cyril who runs a shack in Calangute said he made it very clear to his customers that they were not allowed to leave with a bottle of beer. He said “I serve people in plastic glasses too but I am very clear they can’t leave the shack. With regards to an agency taking charge of overseeing the visitor on the beach I think the police can do that job. People come and drink and leave bottles at night which can be very depressing. I feel a stiff fine is the way forward. Please remember we are paying money to handle these shacks for a period of time. Publicity of these kinds of incidents can turn some people off. Business can be affected. So we need to tackle this problem immediately.”
Inas who runs a shack in Betalbatim said he was running a restaurant on the beach. He said “We use cans 60 percent of the time. People come in cars, bring alcohol, drink and leave on the beach. Bottles have to be banned and I admit we get scared when I go for a walk with my family on the roads. Last year we had the police who were around the beach but this time when there were large crowds they were not to be seen. People should have been fined and I feel we have to be very strict. I run one of the four shacks on the beach in Betalbatim and we are all very careful but it would be nice if the authorities helped out”.
Savio Messias, a hotelier and former President of TTAG said he was not surprised the law banning the consumption of alcohol was not implemented. He said “Several laws are not implemented; the authorities have not been strict. Asked if fines were the way forward, he said “If you increase the amount, it will only increase incidences of bribes being given”.
One can only hope everyone acts responsibly to ensure the industry grows.