Goa casino vessels must find new moorings: govt

Aug 05, 2014 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  

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Goa’s offshore casino vessels risk losing their licences if they do not move out of the Mandovi River, chief minister Manohar Parrikar said on Monday.

Mr Parrikar told the state Legislative Assembly that ships that do not comply with the order would not have their licences renewed, Indian media reported.

The Goa government decided last year not to licence any more offshore casinos and to move all existing casino vessels out of Mandovi River by 2015.

Mr Parrikar said it was up to the owners of the offshore casinos to look for new places to anchor their vessels once they were moved out of Mandovi River. The vessels have been accused of polluting the river, the water of which has been certified as unsafe for bathing and fishing.

The Goa government has granted licences to four casino vessels, the latest expiring in 2015.

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