Panaji, June 27 (IANS) Expressing "deep concern" over the rampant drug trade in the state, the Goa church Saturday said steps taken by the state government had failed to curb the menace.

Drug abuse, which was so far a social evil restricted to the coastal, tourist-oriented fringe of Goa, was now slowly moving towards the hinterland amidst chronic inaction by the police to nip drug-related crime, said the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a social arm of Goa's influential Roman Catholic Church, in a statement.

The statement was released here on the eve of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking (Sunday, June 26).

"The CSJP voices its deep concern over the rampant abuse of drugs in Goan society… while the abuse of drugs continues along the coastal belt and is now making steady progress inland," Father Maverick Fernandes, executive secretary of CSJP, said.

"The CSJP is equally concerned with the aggressive promotion and easy availability of alcohol being encouraged by the Government which is adversely impacting Goan homes and industry," he said.

Goa government had been promoting intoxicants and, in the process, promoting an unhealthy culture not only among tourists who visit the state but also among the local population, Fernandes said attacking the Congress-led coalition government for its lethargy in taking on the narcotics menace.

"Abuse of alcohol and drugs, besides affecting the performance of the individuals in the productive age group, has also been destroying the peace and health of the family members and society at large," he added.

"The rising number of road accidents, drowning on beaches and anti-social activity resulting from alcohol and drug abuse is earning a bad name for the state and is also making life for the ordinary citizen difficult and insecure," Fernandes said.

Voicing concern about the increasing co-branding of Goa as a destination for cheap liquor, Fernandes said that while both the Goa government and the liquor industry benefited much from selling cheap booze in the state, they had steadfastly ignored setting up of "sufficient support systems for recovery of those afflicted by addiction to these substances".

Goa has a population of 26 percent Christians, a majority of whom are Roman Catholics (RC) and owe allegiance to the RC church.