TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Telling offshore casino owners to find their own new locations to anchor their vessels, as it was not the “government’s look out,” Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the House on Monday that the government would not renew licences of those vessels who are not ready to move out of Mandovi River once their current permissions expires.
Parrikar was forced to intervene during a Question Hour discussion, when his Ports Minister Laxmikant Parsekar was grilled by Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte on providing fitness certificates to casino vessels. While participating in the debate, Cong MLA Atanasio Monserrate sought to know whether the govt had identified any place where the casino vessels would be shifted, once moved out of Mandovi River.
Replying to the same, Parrikar said that the cabinet had resolved to shift the offshore casino vessels out of River Mandovi. “All the vessels will move out in the next two years,” he said.
He said that the offshore casino vessel owners will have to decide where they will anchor the vessels, once they are moved out from River Mandovi and it is not government’s look out. “If they don’t move, their licence would not be renewed,” Parrikar said.
Earlier, Khaunte wanted to know about the safety of the passengers visiting the offshore casino vessels, considering that the casino vessel like M V Horseshoe had been granted fitness certificate on the very same day it applied for. The vessel had submitted application for fitness certification on July 21, 2014 and the certificate was granted on the very same day, despite the procedure for issuing certificate being lengthy, Khaunte argued. The fitness certificate will expire on July 11, 2015.
Parsekar said that the vessel was earlier anchored off Karwar coast and was granted fitness certificate by the Karwar port which was endorsed by CoP. Khaunte strongly objected to this, and was not satisfied with the minister’s reply. “You (Minister) cannot rely on the fitness certificate issued by the Karwar port. Since large numbers of passengers enter the vessel every day, it is our duty to cross check the fitness and safety of the vessel,” he said.
Khaunte also grilled the Minister over granting permission to three offshore casino vessels under the Inland Vessels Act 1917 and not under Merchant Shipping 1958. The casino vessel M V Pride of Goa is registered under Merchant Shipping 1958 while M V Casino Royale, M V Boa Sorte and M V Horseshoe are registered under Inland Vessels Act 1971.
