Panaji, May 4 (IANS): Following complaints of broken glass being strewn on Goa's beaches, the North Goa district police on Wednesday ordered a crackdown on drinking in public places, especially on beaches, police said.

"We received a lot of complaints, both from tourists as well as locals, about people cutting themselves on broken liquor bottles while walking on the beaches as well as swimming in the sea. Therefore we have given instructions to the police to crack down severely on drinking of alcohol on beaches," Superintendent of Police Karthik Kashyap told reporters at a public interaction.

"A lot of people are facing inconvenience due to this nuisance of drinking in the open," he said, adding that anyone found drinking in open will be booked under Section 34 of the Indian Police Act.

Some of the popular beaches in North Goa are Calangute, Baga, Candolim, Anjuna, Morjim, Arambol, etc.

Drinking in the open is already banned in Goa, but action is rare.

Goa is one of the top beach tourism destinations in the country and attracts over four million tourists every year. The state is also popular for cheap alcohol thanks to a liberal excise regime.