No drugs, rave parties in Goa this tourist season

No drugs, rave parties in Goa this tourist seasonPanaji, Oct 8  Police will crack down on rave and late night parties in Goa this tourist season, says state Home Minister Ravi Naik.

"We will not tolerate rave parties and drugs at all. They are already banned in Goa and we will make sure the ban is implemented," Naik told IANS on the sidelines of an official meeting at the chief minister's residence in Panaji Wednesday.

Known as a narco-tourism hub, the coastal state attracts many tourists due to its narcotics-laced rave parties, which go on till the early hours of the morning during the tourist season that starts at the fag end of October and winds up in March.

A big tourism draw, rave parties, held all along the north Goa coast, especially near Arambol and Anjuna beaches, are also a breeding ground for large-scale narcotics trade.

According to Naik, specific instructions had been given to the anti narcotics cell (ANC) and the local police stations to keep tabs on narcotics related activity in the state.

"We have equipped the ANC with manpower and other equipment to help them get cracking," Naik said.

The home minister further said that coastal security would be beefed up in view of the recent sea-borne terror alarms.

"We already have three more patrol boats which will be used to guard the coastline," Naik said.

Goa sees an annual inflow of two million tourists each year, nearly 500,000 of which are foreigners. The terror strikes in Mumbai last year had left the tourism industry in the state reeling, with tourist number dropping considerably. (IANS)