Panaji, Apr 25 (Agencies)Goa government has banned drinking liquor on beaches in a bid to curb littering and nuisance caused to women tourists.

However, one can continue to enjoy drinks at designated places such as beach shacks, Goa Tourism Director Nikhil Desai told PTI.

“The ban has been imposed under Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act which gives the right to the state government to ban things which create nuisance in the tourism zones. The act envisages to protect and maintain the tourist places from deterioration and erosion and preserve the tourism potential”, he said.

India Reserve Battalion (IRB), a wing of Goa Police, manning the law and order on beaches, is asked to implement the order with immediate effect. “The violation will attract arrest”, Mr. Desai added.

Mr. Desai clarified that the prohibition order is not applicable to drinking in licensed shacks or any other places where retail sale of liquor is allowed.

The ban is the fallout of mounting complaints by tourists getting injured by broken bottles littering beaches and of nuisance against women tourists by drunk hoodlums loitering beaches.

A favoured tourist destination, Goa attracts around 2.4 million tourists annually, chunk of whom are domestic.