Team Herald
PANJIM: The BJP-led government is contemplating the possibility of converting the offshore casinos into land casinos. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Thursday said that during the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, two proposals came forward on the relocation of offshore casinos, wherein he proposed that the offshore casinos be converted into land casinos.
“In Goa there is no opposition to land casinos. So we can ask the offshore casino operators to identify suitable land site and shift their casinos there,” Parsekar told the media.
The other proposal was to shift the offshore casinos to the high seas. “Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza was of the opinion that government can demarcate an area in the high seas and relocate these vessels there. We can issue directives to these operators to develop sea worth vessels and relocate,” Parsekar said. “Both these proposals are now taken for consideration,” the Chief Minister said.
The cabinet also decided that the casino vessels will stay on in River Mandovi for another year or until the government identifies an alternative feasible site for their relocation.
The cabinet, chaired by Parsekar, granted an extension to shift the offshore casinos up to March 31, 2017. It also resolved to direct the Captain of Ports (CoP) to revisit the identified sites – Rivers Mandovi, Zuari, Chapora and Aguada Bay – and submit a fresh proposal.
The cabinet also granted permission to M V Royale Floatel to commence operations in River Mandovi till March 31, next year. The permission to Delta Pleasure Cruise Company Pvt Ltd for operation of a floatel was granted in 2014, however it was not allowed to operate in River Mandovi, owing to the decision on August 14, 2013.
As per the government’s earlier cabinet decision in August, 2015 it had granted six month extension to the vessels to shift from December 31, 2015 to March 31, the deadline which expired on Thursday.
“Government could not identify feasible sites for relocation of casino vessels. Based on the suggestions received from the stakeholders and public, it was concluded that the four identified sites were not feasible and also there was complete opposition from the locals,” Parsekar said.
Currently, there are four offshore casinos operating in River Mandovi – MV Horseshoe Casino run by Delta Corp Limited, MV Pride of Goa run by Goa Coastal Resorts and Recreation Pvt Ltd, MV Casino Royale operated by Highstreet Cruises and Entertainment Pvt Ltd and MV Boa Sorte run by Golden Peace Infrastructure Pvt Ltd.
