the goan I network
PANAJI
In keeping with the assurance given on the floor of the Goa legislative assembly, Cabinet Minister Michael Lobo on Wednesday said the issue of relocating the off-shore casinos currently anchored in the Mandovi river out to sea in the region of the Aguada bay will be explored again.
Lobo said, the sea conditions in the area will be assessed and based on reports from the experts a call will be taken by the government in consultation with the casino industry.
“Much will depend on whether the sea conditions in the Aguada Bay region are conducive for anchoring the casinos there,” Lobo said, while speaking to the media at the Secretariat after a meeting with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant he facilitated for representatives of beach shack operators.
Lobo said, the proposal to consider shifting the off-shore casino vessels to the Aguada Bay area, was an assurance given by the State government during the recently concluded Monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly on the insistence of Panaji MLA, Atanasio Babush Monserrate.
Shifting Casinos to the Aguada bay was first mooted and attempted to be implemented by the Congress government led by current Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat in 2009-10.
Kamat’s government by a cabinet decision had tweaked the casino licencing rules to impose a condition that the casino operators would compulsorily shift their vessels to the seaward Aguada bay before the deadline for the next licence renewals.
The decision was taken in consonance with popular local demands, but came to be challenged before the Bombay High Court at Goa and eventually abandoned after reports from marine experts concluded it was not feasible since the conditions at sea around the Aguada Bay were rough and choppy.
Interestingly, during the proceedings of the Monsoon Session, the chief minister had announced that the off-shore casino vessels will eventually be shifted out from the Mandovi river but did not give any timeline. He also said, that a ‘Gaming Zone’ will be identified in geographical proximity to the upcoming Mopa International Airport but the process would take time.
