The closure of a casino at Bogmallo on a complaint filed by GenNext, an NGO with a suspicious agenda, has come at a huge cost. The action taken by the NGO has jeopardised 110 jobs and the government should have given some thought before rushing to shut the casino, which was a legitimate business. This attitude of shoot first, talk later is reminiscent of the wild west and is not suitable for a growing economy and a government that professes to create 50,000 jobs in five years. In the normal course a show-cause notice would have been served and the company given reasonable time to explain. The closure was apparently predicated because the hotel in which it was housed was awaiting renewal of five-star status. The process had already started and the government should have granted sufficient time. Instead it chose to act in haste and as a result rendered over 110 persons jobless. How can leaders of GenNext sleep calmly knowing fully well that their action has hurt over a hundred families? Why is it so easy for GenNext to play with other people's livelihoods? It is actions of NGOs like GenNext which is driving people away from Goa. If economic growth is going to be blocked on a whim, then the only alternative is to get a Portuguese passport and fly to the UK.
