PANAJI
The rising cases of unruly behaviour on Goa’s beaches which have become a point of intense discussion among influencers and other social media users for it’s potent to hurt the brand seems to have sunk in the collective conscience of officials in the Tourism Department and the police.
Over the last three years, the State has taken action against 1,157 touts, fining them an aggregate of Rs 55.41 lakh. Further, another 792 persons have been booked and fined a total of Rs 15 lakh in the same three years for drinking (alcohol) publicly on beaches and creating nuisance.
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte who gave this information in the Goa Legislative Assembly in a written reply to Digambar Kamat, said the touts who indulged in illegal business on the beaches harassing tourists with aggressive marketing were fined Rs 5,000 each. Forty of the touts booked have cases still pending prosecution by the respective police stations since they refused to pay the fines and compound the offences.
Khaunte said 309 touts were thus booked in 2022 and 430 in 2023. Last year, 351 were booked while 35 cases have been reported in January this year, he added.
Depending on the seriousness of the offences, Khaunte said 12 of them were fined up to Rs 5,000, another 16 had to pay up Rs 2,000 and two a whopping Rs 12,000.
Additionally in South Goa, six persons were arrested and being prosecuted for driving their vehicles on the beaches there, Khaunte said.
Also, action was taken against 792 tourists for drinking alcohol in the open on beaches in South Goa, with Rs 15.84 lakh collected in fines from them.
