Last week I was listening to the keynote address by Honourable Union Minister for Commerce, Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu at the Goa Start-up and Innovation Day event. In his speech, he said “Every single job at the Mopa Airport is reserved for Goans”. He then went on to say that Mopa airport will be the second largest airport in Western India after Mumbai with a capacity to handle 30 million passengers. An airport of that size usually needs 20,000 to 30,000 workers working full time in various shifts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Naysayers may be dismissive of such a statement and most people might think it’s impossible to achieve. As a second generation entrepreneur, I have a different view and see this as one of the biggest opportunities for Goa. In order for Mopa Airport to be developed as a world class air transport hub employing only Goans, the following steps need to be taken immediately.
City Planning: The entire Mopa area should be designed like a self- sufficient township and city planners have an opportunity to design and create specific zones for various services like housing, entertainment, hospitality and transportation. The government can work with local developers who in turn can focus on specific infrastructure solutions that would support the large workforce in and around the airport. In an ideal world, a majority of the airport workforce should be provided housing in the township. This would mean developing schools, colleges, commercial complexes, hotels, restaurants and other support services for the residents of the township.
The Las Vegas model: Casinos are here to stay as they provide an important and much needed source of revenue for the state government. There is an opportunity to recreate a Las Vegas Strip model near the Mopa airport and shift all the casinos from the Mandovi river and elsewhere to the newly developed Mopa Entertainment zone. Las Vegas is much more than just casinos as visitors can experience world class entertainment in the form of musical concerts, theatre shows and unique performing acts. Las Vegas is also a very important large convention destination and similar facilities can be build at Mopa. This would provide additional employment opportunities to Goans and in my estimate the job opportunities would double. The Mopa entertainment zone would make Goa an even more attractive tourism destination.
Transportation Infrastructure: It is critical for the government to plan and develop adequate transportation infrastructure to support the large workforce and visitors at the new airport. The Mopa township should be connected to the airport via a monorail network along with a good bus network. Serious consideration should also be given to the construction of an airport expressway that connects to the main national highway network in the state. There is opportunity to develop an airport express train service connecting Mopa to Thivim railway station which would make it easy for train travellers to access the new airport as well as the Mopa entertainment zone.
Environmental Footprint: A large development is going to need a lot of resources like power and water. Just as Kochi airport, Mopa can be run entirely by solar power. Why just the airport, the entire Mopa area can run on solar energy as the cost of producing solar power has become very economical and sustainable. The state government can pass a mandate that all vehicles sold and driven in the zone must be electric. City planners can ensure a network of charging stations to facilitate smooth running of the entire electric vehicle fleet. Every structure could make provision for rain water harvesting which would ensure uninterrupted water supply throughout the year.
Skills Training: Such a large project is going to need a lot of skilled people and the entire workforce can be Goan if government and industry take a lead in getting the local population ready in advance. There will be all kinds of jobs available at the new airport and these jobs are going to require specific skills. The Goa Government should immediately tie up with local educational institutions to design and launch various diploma courses specific to the skills required for various jobs at the airport. These courses can be subsidised for Goans and their successful completion would guarantee the person a relevant job at the airport. Such a move would ensure that all Goans are trained to fill every available job at the airport. Local industry and businesses can also play an important role in recruiting and training locals well in advance for all the job opportunities that will be created.
Start-Up Engagement: A large airport can run very smoothly if the right kind of innovation is put in action. There is great scope for local Goan start-ups to develop and deploy innovative solutions that would ensure the smooth running of various services at the new airport. From baggage handling to providing hospitality and entertainment options to passengers, start-ups can develop both IT and not IT products and services that are specific to solving various problems at an airport. The new start-up policy provides a lot of incentives to local entrepreneurs and they in turn can really benefit by focusing on developing innovative solutions which would almost guarantee them business. Once their products and services are successfully deployed, they can expand their business by offering their solutions to other airports across the country.
The Mopa airport and surrounding developments present a fantastic opportunity for Goa to showcase it’s vision, talent and expertise in developing a world class tourist destination. The entire Mopa area has the potential to create over one lakh jobs and would ensure employability for all Goans. The state government can play a lead role in bringing all the stakeholders in local business and industry together to make this vision a reality and make this the best Made in Goa by Goans success story.
(The author is a serial entrepreneur, international business coach).
