Banishing offshore casinos from the Mandovi river and restoring State tree status to the coconut palm are some of the key highlights of a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) released on Monday by the BJP-led coalition Government in Goa.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas would be the motto of his Government with an element of Goenkarponn (Goanness).
“We will formulate and implement policy on floating casinos on Mandovi river to shift them from the present location,” Parrikar said.
Before the 2017 Assembly elections, the Goa Forward and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party criticised the alleged collusion of the casino lobby with the ruling BJP. However, after the polls, both parties are now part of a BJP-led coalition Government. There are currently six offshore casinos in the Mandovi river, along with more than a dozen onshore casinos located on the numerous five star resorts in the State.
The CMP also promises to revert tree status to the coconut palm, which was controversially de-recognised in 2016.
“This Government will make necessary amendments in the legislation to recognise coconut as a State tree,” Parrikar said.
The Opposition as well as civil society has repeatedly accused the previous BJP-led coalition Government in Goa of amending the Goa Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act 1984 in 2016, and dropping the tree status accorded to the coconut tree to unfairly hasten real estate and industrial development at the cost of environment.
The CMP also promises to work towards housing for native Goans by 2022, apart from committing to provide good and transparent governance and basic amenities.