The Mopa airport debate is heating up particularly on its location and viability. Why the government should pursue a project that is almost outside Goa to bring tourists into Goa is not understood? Various estimates put the cost of the Mopa airport project at Rs 3000 crore, which does not include the cost of connecting the airport to either the existing road network or build a new expressway for the airport. Adding this, the cost of Mopa airport to the State cannot be anything less that Rs. 5000 crore. Is this necessary? The solution is to have Dabolim, which is reasonably in the centre of the State, revamped and modernized.
The issue is not whether Goa does not deserve two airports but when we can make do with the existing one why build another greenfield airport at such phenomenal cost at an out-of-the-way location.
If Dabolim has to become the principal airport for Goa then in the long-term the Indian Navy has to move out of there. The arguments being proferred now about why the Indian Navy cannot move out of Dabolim are illogical. The first is that in our national interest we should let the Navy remain at Dabolim. By the same logic that Goa should receive more tourists for the State and country’s economy, is that not in the national interest? We have this perception that it is only the Defence forces who work for the national interest but that is wrong since any one of us who are involved in any productive activity are all working in the national interest.
The Defence personnel just made a choice of profession like any of the others in this country who did to work for the fire services or police or to become an engineer or a doctor. Thus everyone works in the national interest.
The other thing about Dabolim is that prior to Liberation it was a civilian airport and the Indian Navy after Goa was liberated just occupied Dabolim. Now our Chief Minister is seeking to score brownie points by claiming how much work he has done to open up Dabolim from the Navy to allow civilian operations. This is like someone taking your own possession and then giving you the rights to use it on a limited basis, as a matter of favour.
There is actually no strategic or logistics issue of the Indian Navy vacating Dabolim since particularly with Operation Seabird coming up at Karwar. The base at Karwar can be further expanded to fit in the Navy’s Dabolim operations there. The CM’s estimate that it will cost Rs 10,000 crore for the Navy to shift out of Dabolim is highly overestimated. At most it can cost Rs 1000 crore which if even you give from what has been budgeted for Mopa airport at the lower estimate of Rs 3000 crore then Goa still stands to save Rs 2000 crore. Thus that is the way to go and convert Dabolim to a full civilian airport.
