Casino extension is Rs 25-Cr deal, alleges Cong, exposes scandals on vessels
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 08 April 2016 19:48 IST
Girish Chodankar, Goa-based national secretary of Congress, has alleged Rs 25 crore-deal in granting one-year extension to offshore casinos and Rs 5000 crore loss to the state treasury while exposing several other scandals running on casino vessels in collusion with politicians and bureaucrats.
“Besides granting extension of one more year to operate in River Mandovi, the Rs 25 crore deal also includes allowing fifth offshore casino”, alleged Chodankar, the AICC general secretary.
He also discloses that the BJP government is all set to allow four more casinos, which would facilitate them raise election funds.
The Congress secretary, though did not name anybody in particular, also raised doubts over outburst by ‘some’ politicians against casino extension, hoping that it is not aimed at getting their own share in the Rs 25 crore deal.
He also observed that such people opposing casinos in the past today do not even utter a six-letter word called Casino.
“I am sure some of them are genuine and hoped that those opposing will maintain consistency in opposing casino and will not get silenced”, he said in a press note.
HOW REVENUE LOSS OF RS 5000 CRORE?
According to Chodankar, the casino operators disclose only 25% of actual entry, which results into revenue leakages of entry fee, entertainment tax and VAT.
Rather than trusting the casino operator to disclose the number of entries on the casino vessels, Chodankar asks why the BJP government is not appointing revenue officers at casinos like excise inspectors at distilleries and ticket collectors in the ferry boats.
In addition, he says the entry fee has also been brought down from Rs 2000 to Rs 500, adding additional loss to the state treasury.
PROPERTIES LOOTED AT CASINOS!
Making yet another revelation, leader of the Congress which was earlier ruling Goa also alleged that casinos also run a racket of looting properties of the gamblers, who lose entire money gambling.
According to him, each casino keeps a legal team ready to transfer properties of gamblers, especially Goans, when they lose everything while playing live casino games.
The authorities, including ruling politicians and the bureaucrats, turn blind eye towards this looting while casino operators have taken total control over the authorities.
He also dismisses the claim of casinos providing jobs to locals, stating that only 15% Goans work at these casinos.
According to him, casinos have destroyed hundreds of Goan families while Goans are also losing on the front of jobs as well as huge amount of revenue loss.
While criticising the BJP government, Chodankar recalls that the saffron party won 2012 Assembly election by promising to close down casinos (brought by the Congress) by preaching morality, values and principles.
“But once in power, they have promoted casinos like never before”, says Chodankar, admitting indirectly also the misdeeds of his own Congress party.
