Interestingly, the notification comes over four months after the cabinet resolved to extend the deadline for the casino operators to relocate out of River Mandovi to another destination.
“Provided also that the licensee, whose license has been renewed based on an undertaking given by the licensee for moving out its operations from river Mandovi within a period of two years from the date of the renewal of license, shall be allowed to operate in river Mandovi for a period from August 30, 2015 to March 31, 2016 or till an alternate site is notified by the government, whichever is earlier, subject to the condition that such license is in force during such period,” the notification states.
The ruling coalition had earlier announced they will ensure offshore casino vessels are moved out of the river by 2015 when their licenses are due for renewal. The licenses of the four vessels expired on different dates last year. The government had in the meanwhile issued a notification inviting suggestions from the people, including stakeholders, over the shifting of vessels to Aguada Bay, Rivers Sal, Chapora or Zuari, wherein it received various objections to the selected locations.
Parsekar, who has advocated keeping the casinos in River Mandovi, had earlier said that the government cannot suddenly close down casino operations as it would send a wrong signal to investors. While casino operators had expressed willingness to shift to another location, provided required infrastructure is in place, the government is yet to finalize the alternative location.
