With rising cases of drowning incidents being reported, the Goa government has decided to deploy a special security force along the beaches to stop tourists from drinking at the seashore.
Goa police registered a case of “unnatural death” after two tourists drowned at Ashwem-Morjim beach in Goa on Saturday. “A case of unnatural death has been registered after two male tourists from Belgaum drowned at Ashwem-Morjim beach in North Goa,” Pernem Police Inspector, Sandesh Chodankar, said. The two were identified as Aditya Magadum, 26, and Abhijeet Magadum, 33, residents of Belgaum district in Karnataka.
“I have asked the Home department to deploy personnel of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) along the beaches to effectively implement the ban on drinking at the seaside. More attention would be paid to beaches that are crowded,” Sawant told reporters here on Tuesday.
Referring to last week’s drowning incident, he said the victims were warned by lifeguards not to venture into the sea in an inebriated state, but they did not pay heed to it. “Those who visit Goa should first understand the sea before venturing into it. It is always advisable not to venture into the waters when the sea is rough,” Sawant added. The state government earlier this year banned the consumption of liquor on the beaches in a bid to keep them clean and free of a nuisance.
Currently, the state’s beaches are manned by local police and lifeguards.