“The problem is not just about a few tourists behaving badly. Driving on sand is not a harmless joyride. It compacts the soil, accelerates erosion, and destroys fragile ecosystems. On beaches like Morjim and Galgibaga, where turtles nest, it can be devastating. A single car can crush eggs or make the sand too hard for hatchlings to reach the surface. Each act of recklessness leaves behind damage that cannot be undone with a fine.
Yet the state machinery treats these incidents as isolated slips, addressing them only after they are caught on camera.”
Every two days, a familiar story emerges from Goa. A tourist in an SUV or cab drives onto a beach, locals film the incident, the video goes viral, and only then do the police issue a challan. The sequence has become so predictable that it now feels routine. But this routine points to a deeper failure — a failure to prevent, to educate, and to enforce.
The problem is not just about a few tourists behaving badly. Driving on sand is not a harmless joyride. It compacts the soil, accelerates erosion, and destroys fragile ecosystems. On beaches like Morjim and Galgibaga, where turtles nest, it can be devastating. A single car can crush eggs or make the sand too hard for hatchlings to reach the surface. Each act of recklessness leaves behind damage that cannot be undone with a fine.
Yet the state machinery treats these incidents as isolated slips, addressing them only after they are caught on camera. The police swing into action once a video circulates online, but if this has become a common occurrence, why is there no system to prevent it? Why are beaches still so easily accessible to vehicles? Why are there no barricades, patrols, or even simple signboards at parking points warning that driving on sand is illegal and punishable? Waiting for viral evidence before acting does not amount to enforcement. It is a performance, a way of showing the public that something is being done without actually addressing the root of the problem.
The situation is not helped by the way many locals respond. Instead of stepping in to stop tourists, the first instinct has become to pull out a phone. Memes and reels mocking “outsiders” flood social media, turning what is an environmental crime into a joke. The spectacle takes precedence over the solution. By the time the laughter dies down, the sand is already scarred.
Another missing link is accountability from rent-a-cab operators. Many offending vehicles are rented or belong to tourists who are unfamiliar with Goa’s ecological sensitivities. It should be mandatory for rental companies and taxi unions to warn their clients. A simple flyer, a sticker on the dashboard, or even a verbal reminder could make a difference. If operators were legally responsible to sensitise customers, the burden of awareness would not fall solely on the state.
At its heart, this problem is about respect. Too often, visitors treat Goa’s beaches as playgrounds where rules do not apply. That attitude is encouraged when penalties are light and inconsistent. What message does it send when the only consequence of driving on a beach is a fine after going viral? Goa risks being seen not as a place where nature is valued, but as a backdrop for Instagram stunts.
The cycle has to be broken. Prevention, sensitisation, and stronger penalties must replace the current wait-and-watch approach. Barricading vulnerable stretches, deploying regular patrols, and running awareness campaigns are basic steps that should have been implemented long ago. Offenders should face more than token challans. Vehicle confiscations, heavy fines, and repeat offender bans would send a stronger message.
Goa’s beaches are its lifeblood. They sustain tourism, livelihoods, and endangered species. To allow them to be treated as racetracks and meme material is to chip away at Goa’s identity itself. Locals must recognise that filming an incident is not enough. Tourists must be made to understand the real damage their actions cause. And the state must remember that enforcement is not about reacting to viral videos but about protecting the land before harm is done.
Goa cannot afford to let its beaches become another stage for internet spectacle. What is at stake is not just a strip of sand, but the ecological and cultural fabric of the state. The time to act is not after the next viral reel. It is now.
