Goa offshore casinos in the spotlight again

Certain politicians questioned a recent BJP party’s manifesto which didn’t mention moving Goa offshore casinos out of the Mandovi river.

India.- Casinos in Goa have been in the spotlight for quite a while as some want them out of the river and others even want them gone. That’s why the Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) questioned a recent BJP party’s manifesto for not mentioning the venues.

According to the GSM, it’s “suspicious” that the manifesto doesn’t mention moving Goa offshore casinos out of the Mandovi river. Party member Swati Kerkar said that BJP should clarify its position on getting the casinos out.

“Sidharth Kuncalienker’s manifesto states that he will carry out works like road widening,” Kerkar said. “But there is no mention of Smart City. Are these works being carried out under Smart City, Amrut or will they be done independently? Chief minister Pramod Sawant recently said that Smart City is a five-year-long ongoing project. We agree with him, and two-and-a-half years have already passed. What has been achieved so far?”

Operators get criticised

Goa Revenue and Information and Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte is claiming that casino operators in Goa are trying to “infiltrate and influence” Lok Sabha elections by enrolling casino employees into electoral rolls.

The Minister wrote his complaint to the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Saturday. Furthermore, a day later, he said that casino owners are engaging in mass enrollment as they want to influence government policy on the casino industry in the future.

Khaunte told local media that the CEO has to probe all areas where casino clusters exist, The Hindu reported. This would be an attempt to see if casino employees are massively involved in the electoral rolls in Goa.

“I have already filed a complaint with the CEO after I found 820 names of casino employees in my constituency of Porvorim. All the new additions have been routed through one internet protocol (IP) address,” Khaunte said.