A four-day annual wine and lifestyle festival organised by the Goa government could turn out to be a wine festival minus the wine on Monday, the fourth and final day, after the National Green Tribunal directed public authorities in Goa to not allow the sale of liquor on Republic Day.
The western zone bench of the NGT in Pune, comprising Justice V.R. Kingaonkar and expert member Dr. Ajay A. Deshpande, passed the order while hearing an application made by activist Kashinath Shetye.
The NGT directed the Member Secretary of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority to ensure that no “CRZ [coastal regulatory zone]” permission is granted to the festival organisers on Republic Day on the beaches of Goa, saying in its order that Republic Day should be celebrated with all sanctity in keeping with the Constitution.
‘Policies cannot be changed’“The States cannot change their policies as per their will and desire because of their own local traditions,” the NGT order said.
“The CRZ permission shall not be granted so far as January 26 is concerned for holding such a festival, nor any public authority shall allow sale of liquor throughout the State of Goa, which shall be declared as dry day,” the order noted.
Goa Tourism Development Corporation chairman Nilesh Cabral on Saturday told The Hindu that the GTDC, which is promoting the event, was yet to formally receive any of such order.
But, “there is absolutely no question of defying the order and upon receiving the same we will act accordingly by taking legal recourse as per the laws of the land,” a spokesperson later said.
