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.
