PANJIM: Addressing the Goa Legislative Assembly on August 7, 2012, the then Chief Minister and now Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, had categorically and confidently stated that he did not need revenue from the casinos for Goa’s developmental works.
While branding the government revenue from casinos as ‘bad’ money, Parrikar had declared that the income from casinos would be kept in a separate account and utilised only on homes for the aged and those suffering from Alzheimer’s, etc.
Parrikar had further firmly stated: “We don’t want to use that money to buy computers for students. We don’t need that money in the budget.”
Earlier, while in the Opposition, Parrikar had branded casinos as a ‘social evil’ and called them ‘dens of vice’. But come 2016, neither has a separate account for casino money been created nor has the money reached homes for the aged.
Every year since 2012, offshore casinos and the dozen-odd land-based casinos contributed over Rs 100 crore to the Goa government treasury. The total collection, as per documents with Herald, reveal that the government has earned approximately Rs 571.16 cr.
What is shocking is that the BJP, which spoke ill of the casinos when in the Opposition, immediately reduced the entry fee from Rs 2000 in 2011 to just Rs 500, to help the casino business. In 2011, the entry was Rs 2000 in offshore casinos and Rs 500 onshore. Both were kept at Rs 500 in 2012. In 2014, the amount was marginally increased to Rs 700 and now in 2016 it been increased to Rs 1000.
Information further reveals that there has been no illegal entry into casinos (without ticket of entry) since 2013. The government collected an amount of Rs 48,000 in 2011-12 and Rs 1.3 lakh in 2012-13. But since then, the officials say they conduct routine check but have fined none.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar recently termed offshore casinos as a ‘mess’ created by Congress and said he was forced to deal with the issue which was like taking care of someone else’s ‘children’.
“Someone had said I was compelled to marry a pregnant woman. What to do. So, naturally, I am forced to take care of her children,” Parsekar remarked while replying to a query as to why the government was not shifting offshore casinos vessels from Mandovi river.
The BJP government had recently extended the time given to these vessels to move out by another year.
“They (Congress) created this mess and now they are criticising our government. You should recall who was in the power from 1994 to 1999… We were not part of the government then,” he said, responding to Goa Congress chief Luizinho Faleiro’s remark that Goa has become ‘sin city’ because of the offshore casinos.
“We are trying our level best to shift the casino vessels out of Mandovi. Even while giving extension by one year… We have said one year or till we find alternate place, whichever is earlier,” Parsekar said. The government will not allow any more offshore casinos to come up, he said.
To another question, Parsekar said he could not abandon the investors. “We can’t discard the investors because some other government had invited them… We go around attracting investors and if we disturb the old investors that will send a wrong signal,” he said.
He also said that closure of offshore casinos would affect the livelihood of 2,000 youths employed by them.
