Goa govt to deploy IRB on beaches to check drinking menace

In view of the rising incidents of drowning, the Goa government will deploy a special security force along the beaches to stop tourists from drinking at the seashore, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said.

Last week, two tourists from Karnataka, who were drunk, drowned in the sea along a beach in North Goa district.

Currently, the state's beaches are manned by local police and lifeguards.

"I have asked the Home department to deploy personnel of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) along the beaches to effectively implement the ban on drinking at the seaside. More attention would be paid to beaches that are crowded," Sawant told reporters here on Tuesday.

Referring to last week's drowning incident, he said the victims were warned by lifeguards not to venture into the sea in an inebriated state, but they did not pay heed to it.

"Those who visit Goa should first understand the sea before venturing into it. It is always advisable not to venture into the waters when the sea is rough," Sawant added.

The state government earlier this year banned consumption of liquor on the beaches in a bid to keep them clean and free of nuisance.