Rupesh Samant

Panaji, Aug 14: The Goa government is contemplating to make all its Industrial Estates ‘no liquor zones’ by banning any new alcoholic beverages and retail bar licences while also planning to cancel the permissions granted to existing ones.

State Industries Minister Vishwajit Rane told reporters on Tuesday that his department is going to write to the chief minister Pramod Sawant, who is holding Excise portfolio, to ban any more licences for the industrial units producing alcohol and also liquor bars in the Industrial Estates.

There are total twenty-two industries estates in the state all of whom are controlled by state-run Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC).

“We want to promote industrial canteens with nutritious food to the workers in the industrial estates rather than the liquor bars. I will write to the chief minister once he is back from his Russia tour informing him about our decision,” Rane said.

The minister said that his department would also write to State Excise department to cancel all the existing licences granted to bars in the Industrial Estates. “We will seek record from the Excise department as to how many bars have been permitted in the Industrial Estates,” he said.

Rane said that he is following up the decision by former chief minister Manohar Parrikar who had in-principle resolved not to allow bars and alcohol manufacturing units in the Industrial Estates.