The Goa government and the GMR are taking most of the Mopa peasants for a royal ride. It is known that at least 7 lakh square meters of land is being acquired for the setting up of the airport at Mopa. Considering that each square meter of land is worth at the least Rs 2,000 which is definitely the market value of the land, the value of land itself works out to Rs 140 crore. Are the locals being compensated by the government to that extent? The answer is a definite no.
Also the voices of the majority are being muffled by not allowing any dissent or democratic opposition. It is high time that NGOs in Goa as well as a political party take up this issue on a very urgent and massive scale so as to unravel the hidden truth in the setting up of the airport at Mopa. It has been repeatedly published that 54,676 trees are facing the axe for this airport and this is unacceptable.
The complete eco-system of the Mopa plateau rich in bio-diversity will be adversely affected if these number of trees are chopped. Also, though the government has been promising jobs to Goans for this project, it is a fact that the best jobs such as those of ground engineers, air traffic controllers (ATCs) and even air hostesses will not be given to Goans. So not only are the Goans being taken for a ride as far as getting quality jobs are concerned, but also the local Mopa residents are being cheated of a fair compensation.
Will the government pay totally Rs 140 as land compensation to the locals or proportionate compensation for the total number of square meters of land being acquired?
Land is not being made any more and the value of land is the only commodity that keeps appreciating. Also, it is a known secret that GMR will benefit most from this airport project and thus it is an open secret that the project is a big sell-off for Goans in general and Mopa residents in particular.
