Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Legislative Assembly was on Tuesday informed that the government is yet to pay compensation to 40 per cent Mopa land losers due to disputes on records of rights.
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Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the members while replying to a starred question tabled by Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco.
The Chief Minister said that the cost of 81.38 lakh square metres of land acquired at Mopa, Pernem as per the land acquisition awards was Rs 45.35 crore. In addition, the State government in 2015 declared additional three times compensation to the persons, whose land was acquired for the airport project. Also the project cost incurred was Rs 2,780 crore including amount paid to contractors/concessionaires.
Sawant said that the government had already set up Fast Track Court at Mapusa, to speed up the cases/claims pending due to disputes within families of land losers and had deposited the award amount in the court.
He said that other land losers had already been paid the enhanced compensation at a rate of Rs 120 and Rs 240 per square metre, which was three times the market rate. The land acquisition for the proposed airport started in 2008 and the award was finalised in 2013. The government had deposited Rs 28,18,73,883 in the Fast Track Court to be disbursed as compensation to those, who will be lawfully entitled to as determined by the Court.
Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao demanded for a super fast track process to pay the compensation to the poor, who lost their land for the Mopa Greenfield Airport project. Sawant told Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai that the government will start receiving revenues from the concessionaire two after starting of the operations.
Sardesai however demanded to know why the government revised estimates and whether the government would accrue revenues from the commercial city-side development.
Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar and Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar sought to know details of the total number of jobs provided to youth from Pernem taluka.
Arolkar alleged that only ordinary and Class IV type jobs are given to Pernem youth and that 631 youth, who had completed Aviation Skill Development Courses are still awaiting recruitment at the Mopa International Airport.
He demanded a committee under the Chief Minister to monitor direct and indirect recruitment at Mopa airport.
The Chief Minister later laid on the table of the House a list of 2,263 candidates including 1,301 candidates from Pernem taluka, who have been provided jobs at Mopa airport.
