Bombay High Court at Goa Permits Sixth Offshore Casino to Anchor in Mandovi

Golden Globe Hotel Private Limited
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  • PG News June 23, 2017
  • 2 Minutes Read

The sixth offshore casino vessel MV Lucky Seven, promoted by Golden Globe Hotel Private Limited (GGHPL), owned by former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda, is finally being allowed to dock in the River Mandovi.

In its petition before the Bombay High Court at Goa, Golden Globe Hotels Private Limited had prayed for direction to the Goa government to allow the vessel to be moored in River Mandovi, which was stationed in the sea and was being damaged due to the monsoons and high saline content on the water.

The vessel has been waiting to enter River Mandovi since May 19 after the government decided to renew its license. GGHPL had revealed that the Casino would be called Casino Maharaja making it the sixth offshore casino in the state with the Pride Group operating two casinos and Delta Corp operating the other three.

Following direction from the High Court, officials of the Captain of Ports (CoP) carried out a survey of the vessel under the jurisdiction of the Mormugao Port Trust. After the survey report, which was submitted to the CoP on June 21, it was found that the engine and the emergency evacuation mechanism of the vessel were fit for operations and as per directions from the court, the vessel was finally allowed to dock at the jetty in Panaji.

The official spokesperson of the company mentioned that they were planning to operate the offshore casino on River Mandovi from September this year after obtaining the No-objection certificate (NOC) from the CoP along with other necessary permissions from the authorities. However, sources from the home ministry department indicated that the government has not taken any decision on the sixth casino so far.

Goa revenue minister Rohan Khaunte addressed a press conference stating that the vessel was being allowed to dock due to the directions from the judiciary. He further clarified that the government was firm on its decision to shift all the casinos out of River Mandovi in due course.

Senior advocate Surendra Desai, representing Golden Globe Hotels Private Limited, had earlier submitted that the government has agreed in principle to renew its casino license.

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