TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Former chief minister Digambar Kamat on Tuesday said the party decision to oppose the proposed airport at Mopa is acceptable and binding on him, even as the Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) has appreciated the Congress party’s decision on the airport row.
Asked to react to the announcement made by GPCC President Luizinho Faleiro that the Congress is opposed to the Mopa airport, Kamat clarified that he was not responsible for pushing the Mopa airport, but had only carried forward the process already set in motion by the previous government.
The Margao MLA, however, hastened to add that he had led a delegation to the Centre during his tenure to get the Union Cabinet revert its earlier decision to close down the Dabolim airport once Mopa becomes operational. “The previous Union Cabinet decision spoke about closure of the Dabolim airport after Mopa becomes a reality. But, during my tenure as the State’s chief minister, I had led a delegation to the Centre and petitioned the government to roll back the decision to close down Dabolim once Mopa becomes a reality,” Kamat added.
The proposed airport at Mopa had received a big boost during the tenure of the Congress government headed by Digambar Kamat. The land acquired for the parking lot outside the airport was also de-notified during the Congress regime.
Meanwhile, the GFDO, which had a meeting in the city here on Tuesday, has appreciated the GPCC chief Luizinho Faleiro’s announcement of the Congress stand on the issue. GFDO Convenor Fr Eremito Rebello said that the BJP government should scrap the Mopa airport on the lines of the Congress government’s decision to scrap the SEZ policy.
He said the BJP government should also take cognizance of the opinion of the ex-Director of AAI R C Khuranna, who was the chairman of the site selection committee on new airport in Goa that Mopa is unsafe for a new airport.
Fr Eremito, in his personal opinion, however, said the Congress party should apologize to the people, holding the party responsible for pushing the Mopa airport. “In my personal opinion, the Congress leaders should be humble enough to apologize to get the people on the streets”, Fr Eremito added.
