Panaji (GOA) The Bombay High Court at Goa has allowed the owner of Luck 7 casino vessel to anchor it in River Mandovi for undertaking the underwater damage assessment survey; but on a condition that it provides written assurance that the vessel is fir to be moved from its present location of Miramar beach.
“The petitioner makes the statement that the vessel will be moved to Panjim anchorage by September 20 and these operations will commence only after September 15. We accept this as an undertaking to the Court,” Double bench comprising of Justice Nutan Sardessai and Justice GS Patel said.
The Court made it clear that there should be a proposal to move the vessel anywhere along the length of the Mandovi River, subject to the express written permission of the Captain of Ports.
“We expect the vessel owner to require their salvors to provide a written assurance that the vessel is fir to be moved from its present location to Panjim anchorage. The written assurance will be provided to the COP by September 12,” the order stated.
Court has further clarified that any damage to the environment, the petitioner will have to bear all the cost.
The casino vessel got grounded at Miramar beach on July 16. The vessel owner wants to undertake underwater survey to assess the extent of damage to the vessel before towing it away. The survey is expected to be completed bySeptember 27.
