PANJIM: Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai has stated that the people of Goa are inheriting the curse of the previous government.
Addressing the media on the Supreme Court’s ban on the sale of liquor along highways, Sardesai said he along with his cabinet colleagues will push for an independent petition to be moved in the Apex Court.
He said, “The implications of liquor ban are much bigger than the mining ban. How our cultural heritage is different from the rest of the country has to be emphasised to the Supreme Court. We believe that just like Sikkim and Meghalaya, our topography and geographical conditions are also different. We want that everybody in the liquor trade should be exempted.”
Sardesai has opined that the spirit of the Supreme Court’s judgment is already in execution in Goa and therefore the State should have been exempted from the ban. He pointed out to the Goa Excise Duty Act that prohibits sale of liquor to drivers and conductors of buses, taxis and lorries when on duty. He said the ban is affecting livelihoods of people involved in the tourism trade and State revenue.
The minister emphasised that police should use alcometers and all roads should be policed as shutting down the businesses is not the solution. Stating that liquor is part of the Goan way of life, he said, “We are with the liquor traders and bar owners and are sympathetic towards them.”
He further said that Goans are responsible drinkers and Goans are paying for somebody else’s irresponsibility. “Tavern is a part of Goa’s culture. Goemkar is a responsible drinker and it has been proved. Statistics of Goa Police for five years show that less than 1 percent of the deaths on highways are due to drunken driving,” he added.
