Panaji: Activists pressing for the removal of casinos from the Mandovi river said chief secretary V Candavelou gave no firm commitment on the issue during a meeting on Thursday. Ponnjekars Against Casino raised fresh concerns about casino operators seeking to expand their operations even as the legal framework governing them remains unnotified.AAP president Valmiki Naik, associated with Ponnjekars Against Casino, said the delegation questioned the chief secretary on the govt’s preparations to shift floating casinos out of the Mandovi and demanded that all departments be instructed to deny permissions for any expansion of casino operations or infrastructure.The activists also flagged what they described as a fundamental legal lacuna. Rules governing casino operations in Goa have neither been drafted nor notified, rendering the operations potentially unauthorised, they said. “It appears that casino operations are unauthorised and illegal,” Naik said, demanding that govt make even draft gambling rules public to allow citizen input.The delegation urged the chief secretary or chief minister Pramod Sawant to place the rules in the public domain. “Even draft rules should be published so that we can offer suggestions and recommendations,” Naik said.He alleged that govt’s inaction reflected its proximity to casino interests. “This govt is working at the beck and call of the casino industry that is why it is in no mood to enforce regulations,” he said.
