Parrikar allowed casinos first: CM

BY A GT REPORTER

PANJIM: Chief Minister Digambar Kamat yesterday pointed fingers at his nemesis on the Casino issue, Opposition leader, Manohar Parrikar, saying the first off-shore casino was permitted to operate in the Mandovi river in 2001 during the latter’s reign as Chief Minister.
“The first off-shore casino to come in Mandovi river was in the year 2001 and the permission was given at that time. Who was the Chief Minister, you very well know,” Kamat said, at a hurriedly called press conference he addressed at his official Altinho residence.
“The first casino to come and be permitted as per government records was in 2001, with licence granted to ply. The department had no objection to vessel MV Caravella to ply and operate in Panjim port limits and inlands water limits upto Mandovi and Zuari bridges on payment of dues and till such time (I repeat till such time) all the certificates are valid,” he said, reading out an official note.
Subsequently, the permission was renewed by the Home Department in the year 2004 and it was valid till December 1, 2009. This vessel was operating without permission from the Director General of Shipping, Kamat said, adding that the DGS’ permission was granted in 2007.
Kamat stoutly refuted all allegations levelled by Parrikar that all decisions regarding casinos were taken under pressure and involvement of Ahmed Patel, political advisor to AICC president Sonia Gandhi.
“There is absolutely no truth in this. Ahmed Patel or nobody from Delhi till today had at any time intervened or spoken to us,” Kamat said, adding that these allegations were being made only to attract media attention and because it’s election time.
“This is a gimmick,” Kamat said of Parrikar’s campaign through the media against the government on the off-shore casino issue.
“I never like to make personal allegations against anybody. I follow decorum,”' a visibly upset Kamat said.
The Chief Minister however was non-committal on the government’s policy vis-a-vis the number of off-shore casinos to be allowed in future as against the seven at present.
He said during the last Cabinet meeting it was decided that these vessels should not be in the city limits and that they should be asked to leave the Mandovi river and located in the Aguada bay. Within six month these vessels would be asked to move further away, he added.
To a question, Kamat said, the original advertisement released in 2006 was for granting permission to 10 off-shore casinos.
Accordingly, a total of 22 applications were received. But the then Cabinet subsequently decided to restrict the total number to up to five vessels. But by that time, two were already in operation and so it was decided that seven vessels would be allowed, he added.
“At the last Cabinet meet, our first priority was these vessels should go out. If willing they may bring bigger ships and ply them four nautical miles away, nobody would object,” he said, adding that only six were operating in Mandovi river.