Feb 25, 2017 | Murari Shetye | TNN

PANAJI: Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Friday said that the new government should decide whether to renew the licence of the sixth offshore casino, which belongs to Golden Globe Hotels Private Limited (GGHPL), a subsidiary of former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda’s MDLR Group.

Recently, the chief minister office received the file with the opinion that the state government can renew the licence of the sixth offshore casino.

Speaking to TOI, Parsekar said that despite a favourable opinion to renew the licence of the sixth offshore casino, I will not take a decision on the matter. “Let the new government, which would be formed after March 11, take a decision,” he added.

He also said that it is not a new offshore casino, the licence was granted in 2008 when the Congress was in power. “We have collected the dues and renewal licence fee of around Rs 44.5 crore from the casino company but it is not binding on the state government to renew the licence,” Parsekar added.
In January, the high court of Bombay at Goa disposed off a petition filed by GGHPL, after the government stated it would take four weeks to decide over the company’s application for the renewal of the offshore casino’s licence.

As earlier, the government failed to decide on the application by GGHPL for the renewal of offshore casino licence after paying Rs 44.5 crore in annual recurring fees from September 2011 to September 2016, the group approached the high court seeking direction to the government to renew the licence.
During the hearing of the petition, additional advocate general D Lawande stated that the decision on the application dated July 4, 2016, and all the connected applications will be taken by the authorities concerned within four weeks.

The GGHPL had paid Rs 20 lakh as licence renewal fees for five years from September 2016 onwards.