the goan I network
PANAJI
In a move that buys the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government time for its professed quest to find an alternative location to shift the off-shore casino operations, the State administration on Friday extended their permissions to moor in the Mandovi river hugging the capital city by another six months.
“The permissions of the off-shore casinos to operate in the Mandovi river which were expiring on Sunday have been extended by six months,” a top bureaucrat who did not want to be identified, told The Goan.
Six off-shore casino vessels are currently operating in the Mandovi river including three -- ‘MV Horseshoe’, ‘MV Casino Royale’, and ‘MV Royale Flotel’ -- owned by the Jaidev Modi-promoted Delta Corp Limited.
Other casino vessels moored in the picturesque river are ‘MV Pride of Goa’ owned by Goa Coastal Resorts and Recreation Pvt Ltd, ‘MV Boa Sorte’ of Golden Peace Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and the sixth one ‘MV San Domino’ owned by Golden Globe Hotels Pvt Ltd which secured a five-year casino licence controversially issued by the Parrikar government in January this year.
Details of the fees charged for the six-month renewal of the licences were not available.
The cash-strapped govt has for long been arguing that the State exchequer earns sizeable revenue from the licenced gambling industry which will be used for social infrastructure and schemes.
In 2017-18, official data indicates govt coffers got replenished by some Rs 57-odd crore from the entire off-shore casino industry. In the same 2017-18 fiscal, it additionally earned Rs 48.31 cr in revenues from the nine land casinos operating in starred hotels.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has in the past publicly committed to shift the controversial off-shore casinos operations from the Mandovi river where they have been moored and are conducting the gambling activity for years.
In fact in March 2018, his Cabinet had stipulated that Casino vessels would be allowed to be moored in Mandovi river only up to Sept 30.
The government had also indicated that it would scout for a better location closer to the greenfield international airport, preliminary work on which has begun at the Mopa airport in the northernmost taluka of Pernem.
