Says Cong will decide on casinos if voted to power
Panaji: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar on Thursday alleged that drug rackets in the state are being operated with the blessings of people in power and claimed that the security guard caught smuggling drugs into the Central jail is a part of a wider racket.
Chodankar also said he was opposed to the casino culture in Goa and that if the Congress comes to power, it would take a policy decision on whether to continue with casinos, shift them or shut them down completely.
Responding to media queries at the Congress House, Chodankar said drug-related activities were no longer confined to beaches and coastal areas but had spread to villages and educational institutions, including schools and colleges.
“Jail is a restricted area and a high security place and it is a complete collapse of law and order machinery in the state,” he said, adding that this was not the first instance of drugs being found in the jail and that the government had failed to stop it.
He questioned why the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Goa Police was unable to bust drug rackets while the Telangana police and other central agencies were busting rackets allegedly operated from Goa.
“This is a clear nexus between the people in power and this nexus is exposed every now and then,” he said.
Chodankar alleged that the illicit drug trade was being run by people in power and that senior leaders of the ruling party were involved.
“Senior leaders are involved and without their blessings, drugs cannot reach jail. She (security guard) cannot be alone in this racket,” he said.
On the offshore casinos in the Mandovi river, Chodankar said he had always opposed casinos and that they should not be allowed to remain in the river.
“That is a policy decision that needs to be discussed at the party level. It is a big issue. Casino is an industry and the economic fallout has to be taken
into consideration for which a policy decision has to be taken whether to continue/shift or
shut down. I never supported the casinos. Many families have been affected. They say that there is no entry to locals but still locals are entering the casinos,” he said.
