There is a clear divide cutting across political lines at the site of the DefExpo in Betul. On one side are the locals of Betul and on the other is Manohar Parrikar’s Defence Ministry and local officials, working on the order of the Parsekar’s government, which is basically doing Defence Minister Parrikar’s bidding.
When hundreds of locals went to the site and blocked Defence vehicles along with state government ones from reaching the site for an inspection,the growing public resentment against the Defence Expo was palpable.
Much as Mr Parrikar’s ministry and Mr Parsekar’s government may pass off such a mammoth exhibition as a tiny four-day village fair, the facts are clear. This once in two years Expo will not create permanent jobs for locals because there are no permanent jobs locals can get for a highly specific exhibition of this nature. As we pointed out, this is not a village feast. 150 acres (30000 sq) meters) of land at Betul would be used for Defexpo 2016.
“The DefExpo in Goa is one-time event with temporary structures to be removed on completion of the event,” Ashok Kumar Gupta, Secretary (Defence Production) said in a letter addressed to chief secretary R K Srivastava. Can Mr Gupta enlighten us on how he can term a 10,000 square feet runway demanded by his ministry in the sensitive Naqueri area for planes carrying equipment and other vital assets to land, as “temporary”.
Cleverly the Defence Ministry has kept the DefExpo 2016 and the land allotment for a permanent exhibition site apart, hoping to get to stage the DefExpo first.
“With regards to allotment of land, this is a different proposition and there can be an arrangement for creating a permanent exhibition ground through memorandum of understanding between government of Goa and Ministry of Defence. Subject to the views of Government of Goa on the matter, we can consider to progress or drop the proposal,” Gupta’s letter to Goa’s Chief Secretary stated.
It is clear that the Defence Ministry cannot hope to push this project by hoodwinking the people of Goa into believing that this is just a little picnic where toy tanks and planes would roll down the road and fly. It will need a permanent shell infrastructure which would enable them to come back and literally plug and play. It is absolutely impractical to envisage that this land will ever be used for any other purposes.
The Goa government must also understand the perils of blindly following the leader and landing up with yet another controversy which could well have been avoided. Goa was doing fine (within the confines of what fine can be in this state) without the DefExpo being heaped on it. Even before a single stall has been booked for the Expo, the state government has had a big erosion of goodwill from people of Salcete, Canacona and Quepem. Does the government really want to add to its woes and its rapidly declining popularity by taking on the negative baggage of the Defence Minister’s decisions?
The state government’s helplessness in being forced to be “His Master’s Voice” could throw its electoral prospects, seriously off gear.
