the ruling benches on Tuesday came out in support of the event claiming that it will help in revenue generation for locals as well as the State at large.
The ruling MLAs Siddharth Kuncolienkar and Michael Lobo appealed to the State government to go ahead with the proposed Defexpo and Aero show, to be held in March. Both were speaking on the motion of thanks moved on Governor’s Address. The opposition had raised an amendment to the Address over the failure to have clarity on the transfer of land to the Defence Ministry for hosting the events on a permanent basis.
“It is a non-political venture and hence the government needs to stand by its decision and allow the events to take place,” Kuncolienkar said on the Floor of the House questioning the opposition asking why and what exactly are they opposing.
“I am not able to understand why our young MLAs are not able to understand that this event, which will be held only for four days, will not only help the Defence Ministry, but will generate revenue and employment for locals,” he said.
The Panjim MLA demanded that the government should develop a permanent exhibition centre at Naqueri, which could be utilized by the State for hosting various events.
The opposition including, Congress MLA Chandrakant Kavlekar and Independent MLA Vijay Sardesai sought a one hour discussion on the issue under Rule 64 of the proceedings.
Supporting his colleague, Lobo said that events like DefExpo will help in promoting Goa on a larger scale. “The Government is going to create a make-shift infrastructure. It is not a permanent venue,” he tried to clarified.
“This should not be opposed just for political reasons. It is something which will create employment and business for locals during those four days,” he said.
