The Tourism Minister Manohar ‘Babu’ Azgaonkar, on Saturday, said that his department would take a strict action against the unruly tourists on the beaches in the state. Azgaonkar also announced that the process of selecting a contractor for beach cleaning has been completed and added that the contractor would begin work in October.
Speaking to media persons after meeting with shack operators at his Margao residence, Azgaonkar said, “We have put in place strict laws against hawkers, and we will be holding a meeting with the police over this issue. At the same time, we want the Goans also to inform us about these hawkers. I will be strict this time. I don’t want our beaches to have beggars, hawkers, and people making nuisance by breaking bottles. We will impose a fine of Rs 2,000 on a individual and if a group is found to be involved in creating nuisance then the fine would be  Rs 10,000.”
“The people found cooking their food on the roadside will also be fined Rs 10,000 and if they do not pay the fine, they will be jailed. For this to be implemented, we require all the Goans to be alert,” he said. He also urge the shack owners to be alert and issue identification cards to their employees so as to enable the department to crack down on hawkers that tend to hide in the shacks. Azgaonkar also asked for any information about the flow of drugs on the beach to be relayed to the police so as to stop the practice that is rampant on Goa’s beaches.