IANS

Panaji, Sep 16: Casino employees in Goa have requested women's rights groups to take to task an activist who likened the employees to "pimps, prostitutes, whores and drug dealers".

In a joint statement issued here, employees of Casino Royale, Casino Pride and Casino Carnival said the comment made by a senior member of an NGO Goa Bachcao Abhiyaan (GBA) and a frontline campaigner against casinos Anand Madgavkar was not only offensive to women working in the casino industry, but also "grossly insulting and disgusting to their families as well".

"We urge NGOs, women's activist groups and people to take up this issue with Madgavkar," the statement said.

Madgavkar's comemnt was reported in the media after nearly 1,000 casino employees staged a march last week, protesting the government's decision to hike entry fees from Rs.200 to Rs.2,000.

"The protest march was a way of raising our voices in support of the thousands of employees who earn their livelihood from the gaming industry," the statement by casino employees Gaurav Kulkarni, Devidas Naik and Dean Paes said.

"Our families, our parents, wives, husbands and children depend on our salaries and are proud of the fact that we work in the casino industry," it added.

There are now six offshore casinos parked in the Mandovi river of Panaji and 12 onshore casinos. Al are facing increasing opposition from civil society groups and opposition politicians for reasons ranging from corruption in obtaining licences, pollution, increase in crime and moral degradation of society.