By IANS,
Panaji : A state legislative panel Thursday directed the Goa government to suspend operations of five out of the six offshore casinos here because they lack the necessary permissions.
The state legislative ad hoc committee (Home), chaired by leader of the opposition Manohar Parrikar, which met in Porvorim, also pointed out that MV Arabian King, the only casino vessel to have its permissions in order, had not paid the government commercial and entertainment taxes for nearly three months.
Parrikar said that due to this its operations should also be suspended.
Earlier, the committee observed that barring MV Arabian King, all the other five offshore casino vessels were functioning on time-bound no-objection certificates (NOC) issued by the Captain of Ports department, which expired months ago.
“Their permissions have expired therefore the Captain of Ports (CoP) has been directed to stop their operations immediately,” Parrikar said adding that the CoP department should ensure that no patron could board the casinos until the documentation was in order.
Speaking about MV Arabian King, the lone offshore casino vessel which has a valid NOC, Parrikar asserted that the vessel should not be allowed to operate until they clear their dues related to commercial and entertainment tax.
The six offshore casinos parked in the Mandovi river, which flanks the capital Panaji have been a subject of debate between the government, opposition and civil society here.