Team Herald
PANJIM: A day after Herald broke the story of the appointment of a Gaming Commissioner ahead of the Budget session, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant confirmed the news saying that the Commercial Taxes Commissioner would be the Gaming Commissioner.
The Chief Minister also said that the entry of Goans would be banned on onshore and offshore casinos from February 1.
“I have already moved a file and the notification on the appointment of Gaming Commissioner would be out soon. Once that happens, automatically Goans will be barred from entering casinos,” Sawant said.
Asked how the Gaming Commissioner would operate, the Chief Minister said that the Commercial Taxes Commissioner can enter casinos anytime and ask for ID proof of any person who he finds to be Goan.
“The mechanism is yet to be decided, rules and regulation will be decided by the Commissioner himself,” the CM said, adding that the notification will be out soon.
From 2010, successive governments have announced the appointment of a Gaming Commission but the move has not seen light of the day even 10 years later as successive governments have been dragging their feet.
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Railway official’s behaviour ‘unpardonable’
Calling the behaviour of the Railway official when speaking to MLA Alina Saldanha as ‘unpardonable’, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said that such behaviour will not be tolerated by the government.
“Such behaviour or insult against any Goan or MLA will not be tolerated. I am serious about this and I have already spoken to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. The official will apologise to Alina today,” Sawant said.
