It is with a great deal of sadness that we have reported that the Chief Minister of Goa has been found speaking untruths and has been misleading the people on the issue of gifting away prime land of the GIDC for organizing the Defence Expo and Aero show every alternate year. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar obviously wants to move these grand events of his ministry to his home state. We guess even he doesn’t remember that he is a Rajya Sabha MP from UP, but that’s another story. But does that justify that on the basis of just one letter to the Chief Minister of Goa, expressing that the Ministry of Defence had decided that Goa is the best place to have the Defence Expo and an Aero show, the Chief Minister directed the Industries department to convey an in principle (which for all practical purposes is a final one) approval of granting 150 acres of land to the Defence ministry on a permanent basis?
Why have due processes not been followed? Even when companies who invested in the Special Economic Zone, in a manner the High Court found illegal, the then Chief Minister had the practical sense to at least refer some of the applicants who approached the CM directly, to the GIDC. Here on the basis of Manohar Parrikar’s letter on June 12, the Department of Industries sent its approval on July 7. It was only then that the papers were sent to the GIDC for the mere formality of getting the board approval. It was subsequently placed on the agenda of its board meeting of July 15.
May we ask which application for allotment of GIDC land before the state government/GIDC, has had a three week approval turnaround without the issue going to the GIDC? Even today, the Ministry of Defence hasn’t made a detailed proposal. There has been no due diligence. The requests raised in Manohar Parrikar’s letter of 150 acres of land and a 10000 square feet runway along the coast have been considered and while the first has been accepted, the second is naturally included. We say this because the specific request for 10000 metres run away along the coast has not been denied by the government. This request as well as the amount of land which has been approved to be allotted has to be considered on the touch stone of merit and after due diligence. The issue has not even been formally discussed in the cabinet or in the GIDC. The GIDC is on record that they have no clue about the details of the project and there has been no presentation.
The Chief Minister may well take the view that his approval is in principle. But how can even an in principle approval be granted without any groundwork to support this? Moreover, the demand for a runway for the Defence planes to land is an admission that the location chosen is not proper. All over the world DefExpos and Aero shows are held where the venues are segregated or at a permanent venue where all infrastructure is in place like in Delhi. In Bangalore where the Aero show is held, it is right next to the airport. Here, Betul is in the wilderness. But a Defexpo is being planned with a demand to construct a 10000 feet runway on the fragile coast.
It’s shocking that these pipe dreams are given a nod just because the Defence Minister is Goa’s former Chief Minister who ruled in this very Assembly term and the present CM and the entire government machinery cannot dare say no to him.
The Goa CM can well give land if he feels it is good for the State. But not by taking on the spot decisions bypassing basic due diligence and protocol.
