The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001

 
 
 
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GOVERNMENT OF GOA 
Department of Tourism 
 
Notification 
7–61–2001/LA 
The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001 (Goa Act 56 of 2001), 
which has been passed by the Legislative Assembly of Goa on 23 -07-2001 and assented  
to by the Governor of Goa on 5 -09-2001, is hereby published for general information of 
the public. 
S. G. Marathe, Under Secretary (Drafting). 
Panaji, 12th September, 2001. 
 
 
The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001 
(Goa Act 56 of 2001) [5–9–2001] 
AN 
ACT 
to protect and maintain the tourist places from deterioration and erosion and preserve 
their tourism potential. 
Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa in the Fifty-second Year 
of the Republic of India, as follows:— 
1. Short title, extent and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Goa 
Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001. 
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Goa. 
(3) It shall come into force at once. 
2. Definitions.– In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 
(a) “competent authority” means the authority appointed under section 4 of this Act; 
(b) “Government” means the Government of Goa; 
1(c) “nuisance” includes any act of commission or omission or carrying on of any  
activity, process, operation including the operation of or plying of vessels or boats or 
timber, raft or any other floating object in any part of the sea, river or port which causes  
or is likely to cause injury, danger, an noyance to the sense of sight, smell or hearing or 
which is or may be dangerous to life or injurious to health or property and includes oil 
spillage; 
[ (c) ‘nuisance’ includes any act of,— 
(i) commission or omission or carrying on of any activity, process, operation 
which includes the operation of or plying of vessels or boats or timber, raft or 
any other floating object in any part of the sea, river or port or oil spillage 
which causes or is likely to cause injury, danger, annoyance to the sense of 
sight, smell or hearing or which is or may be dangerous to life or injurious to 
health or property; or 
 
 
 
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(ii) coercing, pestering or attempting to force a tourist to purchase goods or 
services; or 
(iii) consuming liquor in any space where consumption of liquor is not 
permitted or breaking glass bottles; or 
(iv) cooking in open spaces beyond the confines of an area or any other space 
not permitted for such activity; or 
littering waste including used material, empty bottles, in places other than 
the ones meant for dumping such waste; or 
(v) operating any boating activities for taking tourists or water sports 
activities from any area other than those expressly permitted and conducted 
within the demarcated zones, as may be notified in the Official Gazette from 
time to time; or 
(vi) engaging in the touting or sale of cruise boat tickets or any other tickets 
for tourist activities from any location other than authorized ticketing counters 
or offices at designated tourist places; or 
(vii) begging at tourist places in a manner that causes annoyance or 
inconvenience to the public; or 
(viii) selling of items or goods from unauthorized handcarts, movable carts, or 
by unauthorized hawkers; or 
(ix) driving unauthorized vehicles on beaches; or 
(x) unauthorized selling of water sports tickets/packages to tourists for 
services to be offered outside the State of Goa; or 
(xi) obstructing the free movement of tourists or compelling them to purchase 
any items, goods or services by hawkers, agents or service providers; or 
(xii) committing such other activity as may be prescribed.] 
(d) “tourist place” means any place, site or location declared by the Government as 
tourist place under section 3 of this Act and shall include any land, monument, lake, 
river, beach or portion thereof; 
(e) “tourism potentiality” means a tourist place where a person or group of persons 
including pilgrims are likely to visit. 
3. Declaration of tourist places.— On and from the date of coming into force of this 
Act, the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare any place, 
monument, site, location to be a tourist place for the purposes of this Act, including any 
river, riverbed, beach, water spring, lake, water course or land, etc. 
4. Appointment of competent authority. — Government may, by notification in the 
Official Gazette, appoint any gazetted officer of the Gover nment to be a Competent 
Authority either for the whole of the State of Goa or for each district of the State of Goa. 
5. Prevention of nuisance.— Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for 
the time being in force, or any instrument, contract or us age or any order, judgment or 
decree of any court, on and from the date of coming into force of this Act,– 
(a) no person, company, association or firm or any other body shall cause any 
nuisance or carry out any activity, process, operation, etc., including the  operation of 
or plying vessels, boats, etc. or omit to prevent or remove the nuisance, which damages 
or deteriorates or is likely to damage or deteriorate or is capable of being damaged or 
deteriorated or has damaged or deteriorated the tourism potentiality of any tourist  
place, declared as such, under section 3 of this Act; 
 
 
 
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(b) the competent authority, either on its own motion or upon a complaint received 
or upon reference made to it, may, by an order in writing and without giving any  prior 
notice, prohibit any nuisance being caused or prevent any such activity, process, 
operation as referred to in clause (a) above being carried out, if in the opinion of the 
said competent authority, it has damaged or deteriorated or is likely to damage or 
deteriorate the tourism potentiality of any tourist place, and pass such interim orders as 
it deems fit to give effect to the objects of this Act. 
6. Notice for removing the nuisance. — If, in the opinion of the competent authority,  
a nuisance is having impact on the to urism potentiality, it shall issue a notice to the  
owner, occupier, lessee, charterer or any person enjoying right of usage or has control of 
the object which has contributed to the nuisance and the owner, occupier, lessee, charterer 
or any person enjoying  right of usage or has control of the object, as the case may be, 
shall within a period of 15 days from the date of receipt of such notice, abate or remove 
the same, and unless the same is removed or abated by the said person within the said 
period of 15 days or such further time as may be extended by the competent authority, but 
not exceeding 3 months, the competent authority shall cause removal of such nuisance. 
7. Object of nuisance shall stand forfeited and vest in the Government. — On the 
failure of the owner, occupier, lessee, charterer or any person against whom notice of 
removal of nuisance is issued, to comply with the order of removal of such nuisance 
within the time fixed by the competent authority, the material thing or object of nuisance 
shall stand forfeited and vest in the Government, except that when such material thing 
or object is sold in public auction, any sum over and above the cost of removal of 
nuisance, shall be payable to its owner. In case the cost of removal exceeds the sale price 
in auction the balance shall he recovered from the concerned owner, as provided in 
section 8. 
8. Expenses and costs for removing the nuisance. — The expenses and costs 
incurred, if any, the Competent Authority in removing or abating such nuisance, shall be 
recovered from the person who has caused such nuisance or from the owner/occupier of 
the object which has contributed to the nuisance, in the same manner as arrears of land  
revenue. 
9. Dealing with the property of nuisance. — Any property, thing, material or object,  
which is a nuisance under this Act, may be disposed off or dealt with by the Government, 
in the manner it deems fit. 
2[9A. Prohibition of certain activities in tourist places.— 
(1) The following activities are prohibited in tourist places, namely:— 
(a) consumption of liquor in open; 
(b) cooking food in open; 
(c) littering waste including used material, empty bottles, etc. 
(d) breaking of glass bottles; and 
(e) such other activity as may be specified by the Government, by notification in 
the Official Gazette. 
(2) Any person violating the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be liable to pay a 
fine of Rs. 2000/ - (Rupees two thousand only) to the competent authority or any 
 
 
 
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other officer authorized by it in this behalf. Where such violation is committed by 
more than one person in a group, such group shall be liable to pay a fine of Rs. 
10,000/- (Rupees ten thousand only). In case such person refused to pay such amount 
he shall be liable to punishment specified in section 10. 
(3) No person engaged in business of sale of liquor shall allow its cu stomer to 
carry bottles/cans containing liquor in tourist places.] 
3[10. Offences and penalties. — Whoever contravenes any of the provisions of this 
Act or fails to comply with any order or direction given under this Act or obstructs any 
person acting under the order or direction of the Competent Authority from exercising his 
powers and performing his functions under this Act, shall be punishable with fine not less 
than Rs. 5000/ - but which may extend to Rs. 50000 /-] 4 [“10. Offences and Penalties. — 
Whoever contravenes any of the provisions of this Act or fails to comply with any order 
or directions given under this Act or obstructs any person acting under the orders or 
directions of the Competent Authority from exercising his powers and performing his 
functions under this Act, shall be punishable with a fine of Rs. 5000/ - which may extend 
to Rs. 1,00,000/ - and shall be also liable for punishment under section 223 of the 
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act 45 of 2023).]” 
5[10A. Revision of fines.— The fine as provided in this Act shall be evaluated by the 
Government in consultation with the Competent Authority, every two years.] 
11. Appeal.— (1) An appeal shall lie against the order passed by the competent 
authority under this Act to the Government, whose decision on appeal shall be final. 
(2) No court shall have jurisdiction to take cognizance of any suit, appeal or 
proceeding, against any order which can be dealt with under this Act, passed or likely to 
be passed under this Act. 
12. Protection for acts done under this Act. — No suit, prosecution or other legal 
proceedings shall lie in any court, against the Government, Competent Authority or any  
of its officers or persons duly appointed or authorized by it in respect of anything which  
is done in good faith or is intended to be done in pursuance of or under this Act or the 
rules made thereunder. 
13. Certain officers to act in aid of Competent Authority. — All officers of the 
police force, home guards, person in–charge of Police Station shall act in aid of the orders 
of Competent Authority. 
14. Power to make rules. — The Government may, by notification in the Official 
Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act. 
15. Power to remove difficulties. — If any difficulty arises in giving effe ct to the 
provisions of this Act, the Government may, by order, do anything not inconsistent with 
the provisions of this Act which appear to it to be necessary or expedient for the purpose 
of removing the difficulty: 
Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiration of three years from the 
commencement of this Act. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Secretariat Annexe, V. P. SHETYE, 
Panaji. Secretary to the Government of Goa, 
Law Department (Legal Affairs). 
Dated 12-9-2001. 
 
 
 
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1. Existing clause(c) substituted vide Amendment Act 28 of 2025. The provisions yet to come  
into force. 
2. Inserted vide Amendment Act 2019; published in the Official Gazette Series I No. 47 
(Extraordinary-2) dated 25-02-2019. 
3. Substituted by the Amendment Act 22 of 2022. Original provisions read as follows:- 
“10. Offences and penalties. — (1) Whoever contravenes any of the provisions of this Act or 
fails to comply with any order or directions given under the Act or obstructs any person 
acting under the orders or directions of the Competent Authority from exercising his powers 
and performing his functions under this Act, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a 
term which shall not be less than 3 months but which may extend to 3 years or with fine 
which may extend to Rs. 5,000/– or with both. 
(2) Any offence committed under this Act shall be cognizable and non-bailable”. 
4. Section 10 again substituted vide Amendment Act 28 of 2025, the amended provisions yet to 
come inforce. 
5. Inserted vide Amendment Act 28  

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