Goa Minister urges police to act against driving on beach

Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Azgaonkar on Tuesday urged the police to take strict action against a former minister for driving a SUV on a beach and abusing a water sports operator.

"If politicians start driving cars on beaches, locals will also do it. No is allowed to do it... The police should take action in such cases," Azgaonkar told reporters here, emphasising that driving of vehicles is not allowed by law on Goa's beaches.

A video of former state Tourism Minister Francisco Pacheco driving the SUV along the Betalbatim-Utorda beach stretch on Sunday went viral on the social media on Monday.

In the video, Pacheco is seen running over a parachute and getting into an altercation with water sports operator Melroy Da Silva.

Pacheco has in turn claimed that he was driving his SUV on the beach in order to pick up a sick friend from Utorda beach.

"The jeep is four wheel drive-enabled. Common ambulances cannot be driven on beaches. Anyway, if I have broken a law by driving on the beach, I am ready to pay the fine to the authorities. Why should this man confront me and point a camera at me?" Pacheco stated.

The video also showed Pacheco sitting with male companions at a beach shack.

--IANS

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