Gadkari’s take on casinos restricted to 1,300 islands’ tourism plan
Union Minister of Roads, Transport, Shipping and Highways Nitin Gadkari has said a firm ‘no’ to casinos and this should gladden the hearts of the anti-casino lobby in the State. The minister said he would not allow casinos on the 1,300 islands which had been opened up for tourism along with 280 lighthouses. His argument is that the people would not allow it.
Instead, he has invited Sri Sri Ravishankar’s Art of Living and Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali to re-fashion the islands as wellness centres. This concept was embraced by Kerala which has now become the centre for alternative healing. Goa is making attempts to incorporate wellness into a colourful tourism picture, with some success.
However, it was the minister’s emphasis on casinos that made headlines because Goa is one of the two states in India, the other being Sikkim, where casinos thrive. The Union Territory of Daman has also opened its arms to casinos in a bid to rejuvenate the local economy and draw tourists, both domestic and international. Casinos fall in the state list of the Constitution and Gadkari would find it difficult to impose curbs on casinos. But as a central minister, his stand is not likely to be cast aside without some deliberation.
Taken out of context, it would appear that the minister was referring to casinos at large. On the contrary his comment was restricted to the 1,300 islands which the Centre wants to open up to tourism. In that sense, the comment should have no bearing on the business in Goa which is quite well established and driving tourism in certain areas, especially Panaji, where the off-shore variety are located.
Although casinos comprise a significant number of pixels of the tourism picture, by no measure are they the central character. Casinos have a place in the industry and make a handsome contribution to the tax kitty, a fact acknowledged by former chief minister Manohar Parrikar and endorsed by Laxmikant Parsekar. Casinos also generate high-paying jobs which is another reason why governments are reluctant to take any hasty decisions.
However, the anti-casino agitation resulted in a cap on the number of off-shore casinos, an uneasy compromise between the business and protection lobbies. It is like a football match which ended in a draw, went into extra time, but stopped short of a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
Gadkari may or may not be right in keeping casinos out of the 1,300 islands, but his plans to convert all of them into wellness centres might prove to be too much of a good thing. India is a much sought after destination on account of the variety it offers and the minister will have to ponder on how to create a mesmerizing mix so that every one of the 1,300 islands stands out as a beacon.
As mentioned earlier, the Union Minister’s statement will give the anti-casino lobby a fillip, but in reality it will not affect the business because the State government has already instituted a cap. The only demand of industry that remains to be implemented is formulation of a gaming commission to oversee the business and bring in an element of control.
Gadkari has been a frequent visitor to Goa and is aware of the presence casinos here. It is quite obvious that his statement was not directed at the business here but at the plan he wishes to implement for the 1,300 islands. In that sense, there really is no need for another round of casino bashing.
