Govt seeks police action against resort for illegal beach weddings

PANAJI

After weeks of warnings, penalties and ignored summons, the Tourism Department has stepped up action and asked the Mandrem police to take legal action against a beach resort for turning a public beach into a private wedding venue in clear violation of the law.

In its latest communication, Tourism Director Kedar Naik has asked the Mandrem police to register a case under Section 223 (disobedience of a lawful order by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against the resort owners and its General Manager.

The department said the resort ignored several warnings and notices. It began on November 17, when a Tourist Warden reported that the resort was putting up an unauthorised wedding stage on Mandrem beach without permission.

Despite warnings from the Tourist Warden and Tourist Police, the work continued. This led the department to issue a show-cause notice on November 19. The resort was fined Rs 1 lakh under the Goa Tourist Places (Protection & Maintenance) Act, 2001, and was asked to explain why its hotel registration should not be cancelled.

Officials said the resort ignored this notice and went ahead with another beach wedding on the same day. Two more show-cause notices were issued on November 21 and December 2, along with summons to attend hearings on December 2 and December 5.

The resort representatives failed to appear for the December 2 hearing. Instead, officials said, the management started putting up another wedding stage on the beach.

Tourist Wardens, with help from the Tourist Police, stopped the work.

Due to repeated violations of the law, the Tourism Department has now asked the Mandrem police to file a formal complaint under Section 223 of the BNS.

“Goa’s public spaces must be protected and respected. Any misuse of these areas for unauthorised commercial activity goes against the idea of responsible tourism. The department will continue to take strict action to ensure the law is followed at all tourist places,” Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said.