Panaji: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has asked a grounded casino vessel to leave a beach before the current monsoon season ends.
“Casinos will come and go. They are replaceable. Our beaches are not,” the court asserted in an order against the grounding of the MV Lucky 7 vessel at Miramar beach adjacent to the state capital of Panaji.
Coming down heavily on any environmental damage to Miramar beach, the court noted that the monsoons and tidal conditions at this time of year should not surprise anyone. “MV Lucky Seven ran aground after the monsoons began. She will leave before the monsoons end,” the court said categorically.
The high court also said beaches have priority over casinos. “Our priorities are, we believe, the same as those of the government and of the people of Goa and Panaji,” the order noted.
The court has also proposed to monitor the vessel’s removal.
The court has kept the matter high on the supplementary board on September 5, and stated that if necessary, will hear it every Tuesday.
The court said that no relief would be granted to Golden Globe Hotel Pvt Ltd unless the vessel is completely removed from the Miramar beach.
The appellate court said it would not permit repeat of a similar case involving Calangute beach, around 16 km northwest of Panaji.
“We are acutely mindful of history: not yet faded from public memory is the incident of the MV River Princess at Calangute, and what followed as damage to that beach and shoreline, plus, of course, the ultimate costs of that vessel’s removal. We will not permit a repetition here,” the court said.
The court also said it would hold the hotel responsible for “the slightest environmental damage and loss caused to either Miramar Beach, the city of Panaji or any of the beaches downstream such as Caranzalem.”
The court further said it was aware of the issues through which the vessel is going through but none of these will be accepted as an excuse, including the sizeable hole in hull and inclement weather.
MV Lucky Seven, owned by former Haryana home minister Gopal Kanda, drifted and ran ashore on Miramar beach on July 17. It has warned several warnings by port authorities.
Since then, it has tried unsuccessfully to sail into the Mandovi River.
A five-member Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued four crew members from the grounded ship and dropped them on Miramar beach from where they were taken to a private hospital for treatment.
The vessel is a Tanzanian flag passenger vessel and the hotel brought it to Goa to use as an off-shore casino.
The captain of ports then complained to the high court that it was dangerous to even attempt to bring in the vessel during the monsoon. Despite repeated warnings and several failed attempts, the crew of MV Lucky Seven kept trying to sail the vessel up Mandovi River.
MV Lucky Seven was to be the sixth off shore casino vessel in River Mandovi. Experts have warned that unless the currents floated the vessel back out to sea or a powerful tug pulled it free, the ship would remain grounded on Miramar beach.
The ship has 12,000 litres of diesel on board and any spillage could kill the beach.
(Source: goacom.com)