The false and misleading EIA report, the pre-application conference report and the pre-application conference query response reports of the Mopa Airport Authority are still not available on the official Government websites.
As per ADDENDUM 1 dated 7 October 2014 for Mopa Airport, the bid opening date/time is December 12, 2014 / 3.30p.m. The Authority appears to be going ahead with the pre-qualification process to shortlist applicants for development of Mopa Airport based on incomplete, false, misleading and hidden project information.
1. There is no approved master plan for Mopa Airport that clearly defines the scope of works for the project. Therefore, the preliminary design activities of the technical consultant for the project remain incomplete. The assessment criteria of shortlisting Design Build Finance Operate Transfer (DBFOT) developers for preparation of the incomplete master plan, preliminary and detailed design are not defined in the Request for Qualification (RFQ) document for Mopa airport. It is therefore not possible to assess suitability of the DBFOT developers for the shortlisting process based on the above referred RFQ document.
2. It is not clear from the Mopa Airport RFQ document, if any Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R& R) plans have to be implemented by the DBFOT developer. If there is no Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report, the developers shall be required to include SIA experts for implementing the R&R plans for converting the villages in Pernem Taluka into a Greenfield city for supporting the Greenfield airport at Mopa. The Mopa Airport RFQ document neither defines the criteria to assess the capability for shortlisting DBFOT developers nor highlights the scope of works for implementing R& R plans.
3.The Mopa Airport RFQ document is silent on the continuation of the existing Goa International Airport at Dabolim. The information memorandum (Appendix-VII) included in the Mopa airport RFQ document does not highlight the projected traffic at the existing Goa International Airport at Dabolim for horizon years 2020, 2025, 2035 & 2045. The applicants participating in the Mopa Airport RFQ process should be made fully aware that there are long-term expansion plans for existing Goa international airport at Dabolim to meet the projected traffic requirements over a period of time.
4.The information memorandum (Appendix VII ) included in the Mopa airport RFQ document does not define the Goa Metropolitan Region in terms of population and land-use maps for promoting Mopa international airport in addition to the existing Goa International Airport at Dabolim.
In view of the above, the ongoing pre-qualification process to shortlist applicants for the development of Mopa Airport should be immediately stopped.
So far there are no news reports indicating that the Mopa Airport RFQ process has been stopped.
