Panaji, July 22 (PTI) Ten onshore and offshore casinos in Goa collectively owed Rs 352.44 crore to the state government in dues, the legislative assembly was told on Tuesday.
A written reply tabled during the assembly session by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant revealed that in some cases, dues have remained unpaid since 2018.
The reply was accompanied by a document listing valid casino licensees and identifying those who have defaulted on Annual Recurring Fees (ARF) and COVID-19-related dues.
Out of 18 onshore casinos with valid licences, nine have pending dues. Additionally, six others have either had their licences revoked or are currently non-operational.
Among the defaulters are three non-operational onshore casinos that collectively owe more than Rs 264.81 crore.
They are: La Calypso Hotels Pvt Ltd, whose licence was revoked in June 2023, has arrears amounting to over Rs 102.11 crore. Trade Wings Hotels Ltd, which operated out of Bogmallo Beach Resort, owes Rs 82.7 crore in ARF dues accumulated between February 2018 and March 2022. MKM Grand Gaming, currently under suspension, has not paid Rs 80 crore in dues since 2018.
Sawant stated that the government has issued demand notices, reminders, and show cause letters to multiple license holders.
“In the case of La Calypso, a letter has been issued to the collector (North Goa) to initiate proceedings for recovery of dues as arrears of land revenue,” he said.
The data shows that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed significantly to the accumulation of dues.
The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that only 75 per cent of the principal amount needed to be paid for the months affected by the pandemic.
Only one offshore casino, Golden Globe Hotels Pvt Ltd, has pending dues of Rs 8.25 crore.
All other offshore operators are currently up-to-date with their payments, as per the data. PTI RPS NSK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.