TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The BJP-led government is going to issue new licenses to four land-based casinos in North Goa – three in Calangute constituency and one in St Andre constituency – GenNext, an NGO that includes Congress secretary Durgadas Kamat, charged on Wednesday.
Currently Calangute constituency has two casinos operating, Porvorim has one casino, Panjim has four-land based and five offshore, Dabolim and Benaulim have one each.
Speaking to the media, Kamat alleged that a political worker from Betim-Verem was acting as a middle man to strike the deals to obtain licenses.
The NGO also alleged that by removing the DG Shipping Act from the Goa Gambling Act while amending it in 2012 the then chief minister Manohar Parrikar had allowed Inland Vessel Act to register casino vessels to help the casino mafia to operate and remain in the inland waters, even though the government does not have a special marine department like DG Shipping to inspect and give fitness certificates to big passenger vessels.
“Even in the above amendment of Goa Gambling Act in 2012, Goa government has banned entry to Goans way back in 2012, but till date it is not implemented to help casino mafias to ruin Goans,” Kamat argued, alleging, “Some officers in the home department with the help of a political worker from Verem-Betim are trying to expedite the process of issuing licenses.”
According to the NGO during the assembly elections the BJP had opposed casinos but now it appeared as if the government was in love with casinos.
