BJP GOVERNMENT ONLY WORKING FOR CASINO LOBBY: AAP
PANAJI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa on Monday alleged that the government had succumbed to the casino lobby and trying to waive off their annual recurring fees amounting to Rs 277 crore citing COVID pandemic.
AAP spokesman Adv Surel Tilve said that the entire State has been affected by the COVID pandemic and the government had not done anything for the local businessmen nor given any relief packages to the Goans but was more concerned to waive recurring fees of the casino lobby. Tilve demanded that if the government waive off their fees then it should also give a relief package for the people of Goa.
Cecille Rodrigues said that the government was elected by the people of Goa and it should think about the interest and welfare of Goans first and then think of the casinos lobby.
AAP spokesperson Adv Melissa Simoes took a jibe against Panaji MLA Babush Monserrate while saying that he had promised the people of Panaji that he would relocate casinos vessels from river Mandovi within 100 days after getting elected but it had been more that 500 days and the casinos were still where they were.
Adv Simoes also pointed out that the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) Mayor Uday Madkaikar had declared that the CCP will not renew trade licenses of the off-shore casino operators but made a U-turn and renewed them. She demanded that the government should suspend trade licenses and should not consider any waiver for the casino lobby.