AAP Protests as Goa MLA Atanasio Monserrate`s 100-Day Deadline to Remove Casino Vessels Lapses

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  • Arpit Jain September 1, 2019
  • 3 Minutes Read

The casino issue has once again incited unrest in the political circles in Goa and this time the ire has fallen upon Goa MLA Atanasio Monserrate. Monserrate was elected on a Congress ticket, but later joined BJP and during the pre-election period Monserrate had committed that if voted to power, he would remove all casino vessels from River Mandovi within 100 days.

August 31 was the 100th day since the election results were declared and on the same day, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Valmiki Naik accused Monserrate of reneging on his commitment. Naik’s exact words were, “Babush Monserrate’s promise for 100 days was a joke. Even if he were to fulfill it, it would not make a difference. When you want to clean the house, you do not take the garbage from one room to the next. We want them out of Goa, not shifted from the river,”

Monserrate clarified that even though he had switched parties, his stance on the issue had not changed. Assuring everyone that he intends to remove the vessels from Panjim, he said, “As far as the casinos are concerned, I am out to remove them from Panjim. I stand by my promises. My promises are meant to be kept not to be broken.”

“I had said 100 days during the elections so now that I am in the government let us see how it can be done. My stand on the casino vessels does not change even though I am entering the BJP,” he added.

Monserrate even claimed to have been in touch with Calangute constituency minister Michael Lobo to get the Casinos shifted to a site on Aguada Bay.

“I will take the Panaji MLA in a feeder boat to identify and then especially our technical people of the Captain of Ports Department to identify the casino vehicles. If it is feasible only then it will be shifted. [For now] there is no other site where the casinos can be shifted, we are trying to identify other places,” said Lobo.

Politics Around Goa Casinos

The government has made its stand clear that its medium-long term plan is to relocate Casinos to a designated ‘gaming zone’ at the upcoming Goa International Airport in Mopa. Just last month, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had made significant announcements reiterating that offshore casinos would be shifted to the Mopa Airport project and that locals would be barred from entering the casinos.

Even the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) Commissioner had warned that it would not be renewing the trade licenses of offshore casinos from next year.

Clearly, in this background, Monserrate`s version of exploring an alternate location in and around Aguada Bay sounds contrary to the government`s recent announcements.

The two major political parties in the state, the BJP, and the Congress had both promised to remove the casinos while in the opposition. However, both parties made a U-turn once voted to power.

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