Anti-Encroachment Drive Against Goa`s Casino Big Daddy Takes Serious Turn; FIR Lodged Against Mayor, Former Deputy Mayor & MLA

Casino Big Daddy
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  • Namita Ghosh June 4, 2019
  • 2 Minutes Read

The coastal state of Goa saw fresh trouble involving one of the floating casinos break out on Friday. It all began on May 31 when a team of officials from the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) and North Goa magistrate initiated an anti-encroachment drive at an area near the Casino Big Daddy. The corporation workers were accompanied by City Mayor Uday Madkaikar, former deputy Mayor Yatin Parekh and several councillors.

According to a Times of India report, the CCP officials started to remove the signboards and lights that were set up by the casino along the footpath. The CCP officials claimed that the casino operator had built steps at the entrance to the reception area in an illegal manner and failed to pay signboard tax to the corporation. As they were removing the encroachments, several employees of the casino came out and started protesting the demolition. An employee of the casino reportedly confronted Madkaikar, challenging his authority to demolish the steps. He (or she) also began to take a video of the CCP group, including the women councillors. What started as an argument, snow-balled into a heated verbal war between Madkaikar and the casino staff.

“They were abusing us. They were recording videos of the women councillors,” Madkaikar claimed. “People said that tables were being put up and that people were sitting outside. I personally inspected the site at night and found that the trees had been nailed and lights fixed on them and all this without permission.”

Without permission, lights have been put up and we have now taken them down. We will send a legal notice and action will be taken against them,” he added.

As per reports, the newly elected MLA from Panjim, Babush Monserrate got whiff of the incident and reached the spot. A known critic of the offshore casinos operating off the River Mandovi, Monserrate got into a verbal argument with the Casino Big Daddy staff.

Big Daddy Casino
CCP staff seen removing the signboards outside Big Daddy Casino

Image Courtesy: TOI

Encroachment drives like these are not uncommon, and a similar drive was held against the previous Casino Maharaja around the last time last year. Just when it looked like this incident too would fizzle out, a woman who was part of the group supporting the casino, lodged a police complaint charging Mayor Madkaikar, MLA Monserrate and Parekh of molesting her during the altercation. While it’s not clear whether the complainant is a casino employee or a supporter, she has, in her complaint alleged that the trio touched her inappropriately, abused her and outraged her modesty during the argument.

North Goa Superintendent of Police, Chandan Chowdhary confirmed this to the media, “Yes, Panaji police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the three based on a complaint lodged by a woman, who was protesting the partial demolition of a casino office’s façade.”

Denying the molestation charges, MLA Monserrate it seems has lodged a counter complaint against the casino owner and others for “criminal intimidation and intentional insult” at the Panaji police station. According to Monserrate`s version of the story, a woman had approached him with private security personnel during the anti-encroachment drive and threatened him on behalf of the casino owner.

Meanwhile, on June 1, reacting to the charges against the MLA, close to 200 locals led by Congress Mahila Committee president, Pratima Coutinho, staged a protest against offshore casinos outside Casino Big Daddy. The protestors which included former Mayors Surendra Furtado, Vithal Chopdekar, and St Cruz MLA Antonio Fernandes, condemned the FIR lodged and demanded a thorough and “clean” police investigation into what they claimed were “baseless allegations.”

Coutinho was quoted as saying, “Yesterday, certain employees of Big Daddy casino took a very dirty step of not only abusing Panaji MLA, but also insulting city mayor Uday Madkaikar.

The protests took place under heavy police presence, although casino operations continued unhindered.

News of this incident reached Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant who as per media reports, has assured to look into the incident. “Nobody can take law in their hands be it casino employees or elected representatives. Nobody has the right. Let me take stock of situation and action would be initiated,” Dr. Sawant said.

The Big Daddy Casino is owned by Haryana-based politician Gopal Kanda’s company Golden Globe Pvt Ltd. The casino was only recently relocated to a bigger vessel.

Even as investigations continue in the incident, the casino continues to face the wrath of the authorities. Just a day after the anti-encroachment drive, the manager of the Big Daddy Casino was issued a short-cause notice by the court of the deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate at Panjim for noise pollution caused by the casino`s floating generator. The authorities claimed that the action was taken basis a complaint filed by residents of Betim who were being troubled due to the noise pollution.

 

Watch MLA Monserratte engaged in an argument with casino staff, as shared by GCTV Goa here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBIbL85i8i0

Watch the video of the verbal fight shared by In Goa News here:

Cover Image Courtesy: Herald Goa

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