------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. Help others be BETTER INFORMED ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre (GDRC) Email: [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Keeping Casinos at Bay, Regulating Functioning -------------------------------------------------- The Goa government has at last woken up to its social and political commitment and decided to move out the offshore casinos from River Mandovi and city's limits, by at least a nautical mile from the shore, within 15 days. The government made this decision to decongest River Mandovi. The river was facing real danger of accidents with the congestion created by the seven casinos and unrestricted movement of their feeder boats making trips for transportation of their customers.
The state has been earning a huge revenue from the casinos but this is certainly not tenable reason to allow them to endanger the river and peoples' lives. Only some time back the All Goa Fishermen's Co-operative Association has sounded an alarm that due to the presence of casinos Goa is facing fish famine. How could the government ignore the needs of the fishing industry which contributes 20 per cent to the primary sector and 2.5 per cent of total state gross domestic product? A sharp decline in the fish catch would adversely affect the economy of the state The government should not only frame the gaming law but it should also come out with some regulatory provisions. It is worth recalling that the Association had also pointed that the sea was being polluted by commercial vessels and offshore casinos, which throw garbage generated in them and also empty their sewage tanks in the sea waters. Though the Goa State Pollution Control Board has issued notices to them and it is unlikely that the permission for operating could have been given without proper documentation. Nevertheless once they anchor at their new destination they may continue with the old practice which would undeniably pollute the sea zone around Miramar. In 2007, the state of Goa decided to increase the number of licences for offshore casinos tenfold to attract foreign tourists and to recreate some of the success of Macau. But the government did nothing to put a check on the functioning of the casinos. We are not sure how the government would account for the illegalities that had presumably happened over all the years. In fact peoples' representatives, both in the ruling as well as opposition camps owe an explanation to the public on why such a huge time gap is allowed for evolving a legislation for regulating the functioning of casinos? How could a government be swayed away by the simple consideration of some financial benefit? Once a committee is in place, people will perhaps come to know the real nature of the operation of the casinos. The state government should make a specific provision in the gaming law that people with background of money laundering or smuggling or women trafficking or any criminal activity should not enter a casino in Goa and put stakes. -------------------------------------------------- Editorial in The Navhind Times 26/02/09 page 10 --------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK ----------------------------------------------------------- promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa ----------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto: [email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------
