Fulfilling a budget promise, the Goa Government on Tuesday allowed bars and liquor shops to sell booze up to 4 am in payment of a hefty annual licence fee.
The notification allows liquor vendors and bar operators along coastal villages and towns to remain open till 4 am which is expected to give a boost to tourism in a State that takes prides in its nightlife.
The rule comes at a time when the State is gearing up for lok Sabha polls, scheduled on April 12, and was announced the day the Government presented the State Budget, which coincidentally was the day the Election Commission announced lok Sabha elections across the country.
According to a gazette notification issued on Tuesday outlets selling alcohol can be open till 4 am in exchange for a fee of Rs2 lakh per annum in additional to the annual licence fees.
Those liquor vendors who wish to keep their bars open till 1am can pay just Rs50,000 a year.
Bars with a normal licence can remain open for business until 11 pm as earlier.
Goa, one of the most sought after beach tourism destinations, attracts 3 million tourists annually and is well known as a beach tourism destination.
Overdrinking among young Indian males is not uncommon along the State’s northern coastal belt.