PANAJI
Members of anti-casino group under the banner of “Panjekars Against Casinos” visited the Captain of Ports (CoP) office on Thursday, alleging failure to shift the Deltin casino vessel by the April 30 deadline and demanding immediate action against the offshore casino operations.
Addressing the media, the members claimed the delay was linked to incomplete mooring work and pending Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance. “The relocation was supposed to happen by April 30. The CoP informed us that CRZ clearance is still pending, but irrespective of that, the vessel was expected to be shifted,” residents said.
They raised concerns over disturbances caused in the residential area, including noise, excessive lighting, and tourists taking photographs near homes. They alleged that the locality was effectively being converted into a commercial zone because of casino-related activities. According to the delegation, the CoP informed them that two notices had already been issued to the casino company regarding the shifting process, but the vessel had still not been moved.
They also questioned how the new 112-metre casino vessel was permitted to enter the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA). They claimed that CoP clarified that permission had been granted by DG Shipping and the Conservator of MPA, and not by the CoP office.
AAP President Valmiki Naik thanked the High Court and the “Enough is Enough” movement for filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the entry of the massive vessel into the Mandovi River. “You cannot get a 2,000-seater boat on the licence of a 70-seater boat directly. They are wasting taxpayers’ money. We need a clear-cut policy that all these offshore casino vessels should be in territorial waters and not in the rivers. No big vessel can replace a small vessel on the same licence,” said Naik.
