PANJIM: A week after Pramod Sawant-led cabinet permitted casinos to restart operations from November 1, a notification has not been released yet. Sources said that concurrence from the Law Department is awaited following which the government will issue an order to officially resume casino operations.
“Until an order or notification is released, casino operations cannot resume. A draft copy is sent to the Law Department for its concurrence. Once it is reverted to the Home Department with an approval, order will be issued,” a senior bureaucrat told Herald.
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The State Cabinet, on October 28, gave its nod for casino operations after seven and half months of shutdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Home Department, along with the order, will also issue SOPs to be followed in terms of social distancing, staff and visitors’ capacity, etc.
With no licence fee paid for the current year due to the lockdown, the restarting of casino operations would be allowed only after making the annual fees. It is however not know whether the fees have been slashed.
“The order will have all the details including SOPs,” the officer said.
The Chief Minister had said that the operators will have to pay fees in the beginning of every month.
The total revenue on account of Annual Recurring Fee for the Financial Year 2020-21 is Rs 350 crore and the casino licencees failed to pay the prescribed advance annual recurring fees, the government directed all the Casino licencees to pay the annual recurring fees for the period from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The licencees have on the other hand sought for relaxation citing closure of business since pan-India lockdown.
