Goa’s casino cruise ships got a six-month reprieve from the local government, but their days plying the Indian state’s offshore waters are numbered, leaders there say.
The coalition government led by Prime Minister Manohar Parrikar approved the boats to continue to do business on the Mandovi River in the capital city of Panaji but only until a plan is devised for relocating them.
Parrikar’s Bharatiya Janata Party came to power several years ago remove the vessels from Goa.
“We have given an extension of by six months, but I don’t think I require six months. By December, as promised, we should be able to come out with a policy,” he said in announcing the extension.
One such proposal calls for moving the industry to a planned special entertainment zone at a new international airport under construction in Pernem, about 45 kilometers from the capital.
Goa, one of the top tourism destinations in the country, is one of only two Indian states (the other is Sikkim) that allow casinos. It is home to five gambling ships and nine land-based gambling halls operating in various hotels and a vocal anti-gambling movement that contends the industry promotes addiction and other social ills.
A recent report by the Goa State Pollution Control Board states that sewage dumped from the boats has made the river unsafe for recreational bathing, water sports and fishing.
