BJP MLA demands ban on alcohol in Goa, fellow lawmakers disagree

PTI, Jul 31, 2024, 5:31 PM IST

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Panaji: Goa BJP MLA Premendra Shet’s demand to ban alcohol consumption in the coastal state has found no takers among his colleagues in the legislative assembly.

Speaking in the House on Tuesday, Shet had said, “For ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Viksit Goa’, the consumption of alcohol should be banned in Goa. We can produce alcohol in the state and export it to other states, but its consumption in Goa should be banned.” To buttress his point, the first-time BJP lawmaker, representing the Mayem assembly constituency in North Goa, said people die in accidents on roads and also in industrial units mainly due to increasing alcohol consumption in the state.

However, his House colleagues didn’t seem convinced with his demand.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, BJP woman MLA Delilah Lobo wondered whether Shet wants people to shut down their restaurant businesses.

“Alcohol is also one reason why tourists come here. What shall we do… shall we close down the restaurants?,” asked Lobo, who along with her husband Michael Lobo (Calangute MLA), owns a chain of hotels in the coastal belt of North Goa.

AAP MLA Cruz Silva said it is not possible to ban alcohol in Goa.

“Accidents are reported on the roads here but Goans are not involved. There are so many restaurants and other businesses that are dependent on the sale of alcohol. Ban on alcohol will affect employment,” he said.

BJP MLA Sankalp Amonkar said he was concerned about alcohol abuse and had raised a question in the assembly earlier over de-addiction centres for chronic alcoholic patients in the state, but he didn’t agree with Shet’s views.

“We have seen people getting addicted to alcohol. I have seen that among my friends and a few (of them) lost their lives to this addiction. But it is not possible to ban alcohol in Goa,” he said.

Kedar Naik, another MLA of the ruling BJP, said Goa is a tourist state and liquor is a part of the tourism industry. “Businesses of many locals are dependent on the liquor selling industry in the state,” he said.

Independent MLA Dr Chandrakant Shetye said Goa cannot ban liquor but needs to work on reducing its consumption in the state.

Goa Forward Party legislator Vijai Sardesai claimed that during the tenure of current Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, the number of wine shops has gone up from 1,500 to 2,000, pointing to an increase in revenue.

“Wine shops are allowed everywhere. The excise revenue has increased because you have raised the number of wine shops,” he said.

MLA Shet on Tuesday pitched for a ban on alcohol consumption in Goa while speaking in the House over demands for grants for the state excise department.

Besides attributing deaths on roads and in industrial units to an increase in alcohol consumption, he alleged that there was no control over the sale of liquor in the state.

“Retail outlets sell liquor beyond the permissible timings and wholesalers sell alcohol for retail customers. Alcoholism is on the rise in Goa and we need to control this,” Shet had said.

The MLA pointed out that there is already a ban on alcohol consumption in four other states, and Goa should also join the list.

CM Sawant, who responded to various questions raised during the discussion on demands for grants for the excise department, made no statement on the demand for a ban on alcohol consumption in Goa.

Talking to reporters later outside the assembly complex, Shet said the ban on alcohol was necessary to save lives.

When asked what the people currently engaged in the liquor business would do if the ban is imposed, Shet had said, “Let them shift to other businesses.” He also claimed that there would be no impact on tourism in case of a liquor ban.

Tourism is considered the backbone of Goa’s economy and among other things, the state is known for its night-long parties.

As per the data recently shared by the Goa government, on an average, three to four cases of chronic alcoholism were reported daily at government-run de-addiction facilities in the state in the past five years.

Chronic alcoholism is a medical condition characterised by a long-term, compulsive pattern of excessive alcohol consumption. The Goa government has set up special facilities in the state’s two districts to help people struggling with dependence on alcohol and drugs.