The death of British tourist Scarlette Keeling has broken the Goa government's slumber. Drugs, sex and crime seem to have become the order of the day in this 'party land'. Peddlers are a common sight on its beaches today. In the midst of all the fun, what many, including the state government, did not take notice are the several illegalities being committed.
As of today there are about 67 illegal shacks operating on Goa's beaches. Cheap liquor, easy sex and unlimited supply of drugs have led to lawlessness. And now even the police have realised that things are getting out of hand.
Now, following the turn of events in Scarlette's case, the Goa government has decided that enough is enough. Initially, the police had allegedly hushed up the case fearing that state's tourism industry may be hit. However, now they realise that it was the worst thing to do as many tourists now think that Goa is no longer safe and worse, even the police will not come to their rescue.
Phase one of the 'clean up Goa' programme includes increasing security around beaches. The presence of cops is bound to affect the night life on the beaches. Next time you are in Goa, you may also not have the choice of hanging out at too many shacks.
The Goa government has planned to come down heavily on illegal shacks, which number around 67 and are spread across the various beaches in Goa. Apart from slapping cases under the Environment Protection Act, the government also proposes to demolish these shacks.
Besides, the tourism department is also considering fixing a deadline for shacks. At present there is no time limit and shacks are open 24 hours. A new order is being contemplated, which will force shacks to shut down by midnight. However, this aspect is still being debated and a decision on the same is expected soon.
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