Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (SR)

Panaji, Aug 2: The Goa government might allow tourists visiting the coastal state to return with more than just the two bottles of liquor, that are currently permitted while leaving the state.

Chief minister, Pramod Sawant while speaking in the Goa assembly, on Tuesday said that the state government was reviewing whether more than two liquor bottles per person could be allowed to be taken across the border. “We want to permit two bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and one bottle of country liquor, instead of just two bottles of alcohol. Many times, people take four to five bottles of alcohol with them in black,” Sawant said.

The state government earns an estimated Rs 500 crore through various excise charges primarily on the sale of liquor and the state government wants to increase the revenue. In an attempt to promote the sale of local liquor, the government has decided to label Cashew Feni a 'heritage drink'. Feni, a local drink brewed from the cashew fruit, was earlier given a Geographical Indicator (GI) tag.

CM Sawant, however, cautioned that such a move would require the consent of both neighbouring states Karnataka and Maharashtra. With liquor much cheaper in Goa than in Karnataka or Maharashtra smuggling is rampant across the porous borders.

Leader of opposition, Digambar Kamat suggested that the government should not restrict it to three or four bottles, but should allow them to carry back even more if it was profitable for the state. The CM however said the state excise department would not be able to decide on its own. “It will have to be done in consultation with other states. If they permit, the Goa excise department will allow more bottles."

Goa has more than 6,000 liquor vendors and the availability of cheap liquor is one of the big draws for visitors from other parts of the country, boosting local tourism.