Over the last few days, the Goans For Dabolim Only (GFDO) has been moving across villages talking to people presenting their arguments to retain Dabolim as the only international airport in Goa. The GFDO is very clear on its stand that Mopa airport will not benefit the State in any manner, but spell doom for Goa. In their recent meetings, there has also been one other aspect which GFDO has made quite clear over the last few days – that the Mopa airport is not a North vs South issue. This is important as the perception being created across the State is that South Goa doesn’t want the new airport project in Mopa to take off as it would benefit North Goa at the expense of South Goa.
This is absolutely naive and fallacious to even consider as the distances in Goa are short and from Patradevi in the North to Polem in the South the distance is a little over 100 kilometres and from East to West it is approximately 65 kilometres. A person prepared to travel some thousand kilometres by air won’t be put off by a hundred kilometers on the road to get where he wants to. This North vs South argument has to be swept aside permanently. The people are one and all arguments – whether they be reasons or excuses – for or against Mopa airport should be based solely on indisputable facts backed by studies and statistics. And this is something else that GFDO brought up at its meetings this week.
GFDO has challenged the chief minister to a debate on Mopa, saying that Laxmikant Parsekar must do what his predecessor could not do – stand on the same platform as the opponents of Mopa and debate the issue in public. It has challenged the chief minister to prove that Mopa airport will not spell doom to the State. It is now up to the chief minister to decide whether he wants to take up the challenge or not and end the debate.
In the current situation where there is more sound and fury on Mopa airport than hard facts and details, it would be best if the proponents and opponents of the airport project got down to a debate. Of course the GFDO meetings had the usual rhetoric that is expected in a public meeting, but in the opposition surrounding the construction of Mopa airport, other than the rhetoric there has been little knowledgeable debate. Even the Environment Impact Assessment hearing in February last turned into a belligerent argument that could have degenerated into fisticuffs but for the presence of the police at the venue. Anti-Mopa airport activists were shouted down at the meeting. This is not how such a project requiring land in lakhs of square metres, involving the investment of crores of rupees and displacing the people from their land should be pushed through. A project of such magnitude requires calm minds ready to listen to reason and decide on the issues that are placed on the table and have been individually analysed and a conclusion arrived at. An attitude of pushing forward the Mopa airport project just because the numbers in the assembly are in favour of the ruling coalition is not how a democratically government should work.
Chief Minister Parsekar should indeed consider taking up the GFDO challenge to prove them wrong. If the government is so certain that Mopa is the best for Goa’s future and considers that what GFDO has to say on the project is mere gibberish, what does the chief minister have to lose in a debate? He, but naturally, will have the entire backing of the State administration feeding him with all the facts of the project, while GFDO would merely have snippets it has garnered from various sources. The chief minister would be starting at an advantage and such a debate would permanently put an end to the North-South divide on the issue and the antagonism that has been created over the past few months over the issue.
GFDO promises to continue its fight for Dabolim as Goa’s only airport. The government appears adamant to go ahead with the project. A debate would hopefully clear the air and bring the issue to some conclusion, allowing all to then give time to other pressing issues that are many.
