Goa: First off-shore casino MV Caravela to leave Mandovi in 2014

Panaji: MV Caravela, the first off-shore casino to enter Goa waters way back in 2001, will also be the first one to move out of river Mandovi next year, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said. All the off shore casino firms have given an undertaking in writing that they will move out of Mandovi in next two years, Parrikar told reporters last evening. [caption id=“attachment_1189133” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Goa CM Manohar Parrikar. PTI[/caption] He said that all casinos will move out of Mandovi, near Panaji to the sea by 2015. “They have given an undertaking. If they don’t move out, then we will cancel their licences,” the CM said. MV Caravela would be the first one to move out in the sea, he said. “Rest of the off shore casinos will move out in a phased manner as per the state government’s policy,” Parrikar added. Responding to a question, the Chief Minister said that the BJP never said that they will ban off shore casinos. “I have a manifesto with me right now. We had assured that off shore casinos would be moved out of Mandovi,” he commented. Goa has five off shore casino vessels of which one is already de-commissioned due to non-payment of dues. The vessel which has been sent to the dockyard is owned by M/S Golden Globe Hotels Private Limited, a firm owned by disgraced former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda. PTI