In 1969 the US rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival wrote a song about a bad moon rising. That seems to be happening to Goa, in stages. In keeping with a Supreme Court decision that bars within 500 meters of the highway be removed, local authorities have started pulling down sign boards of bars which fall within the limit. This is just the beginning of a painful journey for bar owners and drinkers as well. Businesses are going to be shut down and many people could lose their livelihood in the short term. In the long term, everyone will find new places to open their business and drinkers will quickly adjust. The difference is that those who want to drink and drive will find it more difficult because the Supreme Court order will make it more difficult to pull-off the road and down a beer or whiskey. While there is merit in the order of the court, for a State like Goa which is very small and where national and State highways course through villages, towns and cities, the reality is quite different. Goa will suffer on account of the one-rule-fits-all approach to the drink-and-drive problem, but it has no options.
