This illegality of offshore permitted operations inside Mandovi river and people's demand for removing them due to pollution and contaminating Goa in more ways than one is not new. Every government has given assurance but been unable to do it. In fact they have become lucrative and indispensable not only monetarily but also in the fabric of administration and tourist related business. One of the 10 points in the citizen’s charter of demands submitted to the CM is that all casinos from the river should be removed within 6 months. Though desirable, this is obviously not practical for the government to achieve, but in the meantime what is practical is to minimize pollution of the river and regulate the casino operations traffic and customer discipline with enforceable rules and laws drawn up in mutual consultations. Just as commercial aircraft manage their sewage and waste, the government must set up an authority as suggested by CM who introduced the Bill for non“biodegradable waste to put into practice infrastructure with strict monitoring by NIO/agencies under penalty of noncompliance. If the government has the will this will be immediately achievable.
