TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: A newly-formed group Human Rights Defenders demanded registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against former Congress ministers and a bureaucrat for allegedly illegally denotifying the land acquired for the expansion of Dabolim airport.
Addressing a press conference Friday, President Advino Fernandes said the group has petitioned Health Minister Laxmikant Parsekar demanding action after the Vasco Police failed to register and offence against former chief minister Digambar Kamat, former revenue minister Jose Philip D’Souza, former deputy speaker Mauvin Godinho and member secretary of the Mormugao PDA R K Pandita.
The Public Works Department had identified three plots bearing survey numbers 8/1 (part), 9/1 (part) and 162/1 of Dabolim village in Mormugao, which was accordingly notified.
“The Centre had sanctioned Rs 398 crore for upgrading Dabolim and that Airport Authority of India had already deposited Rs 4.25 crore…the then government through a cabinet decision denotified the land under survey number 8/1 on objection from claimed owners of the land,” he said.
Fernandes alleged that the former government kept a replacement option of another 70,000 sq mts of land for parking which belonged to the Ministry of Defence and claimed this as a fraud.
“The Naval Chief Staff Officer has pointed out to the government and other authorities that the denotified land is less than 200 metres from the main gate of major Naval station – INS Hansa and has a full view and access to its runway,” the group members said. The site could easily be used as a safe haven by disruptive elements, the group claimed.
