Team Herald
PANJIM: While the government expects to complete and commission the Mopa Greenfield Airport by August 2022, it has plans to acquire land to construct a connecting road from the National Highway to the upcoming airport.
“The land connecting road from National Highway to Mopa Airport is yet to be acquired. The process of land acquisition under National Highway Act, 1956 is in progress,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a written reply to a starred question tabled by Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat.
The CM cited Answer a notification by the Ministry of Roads, Transport & Highways (MORTH) dated December 28, 2020 for acquisition of land for construction of connecting a NH road from National Highway to Mopa Airport.
To questions regarding objections from land owners, tenants or farmers for the process; the government said that Competent Authority for Land Acquisition (CALA) deals with the objections, if any. Similarly, compensation to owners of the land acquired are also finalised by CALA as per the National Highways Act, 1956.
Sawant said he expects to commission the airport by August 2022. Goa Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, in his inaugural address during the Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly this year, had also said that work is expedited and the project is likely to be completed and commissioned by August 2022.
The first phase of the airport was earlier scheduled to be commissioned by September 3, 2020, but was delayed due to environmental litigations in the Supreme Court filed by activists alleging illegal felling of trees at the airport site.