Unite against Mopa, UGDP tells Goans
MARGAO: Calling upon the GPCC chief Luizinho Faleiro and Environment Minister, Alina Saldanha to come out and lead the movement against the Mopa airport, the United Goans Democratic Party on Friday gave a call to Goans to unite under one banner to take the agitation against the proposed airport to its logical conclusion.
The party also asked Faleiro to get his Congress Legislature Party (CLP) to adopt a resolution opposing Mopa and to fight against the airport in the Assembly if at all the new GPCC president is serious in opposing Mopa.
Addressing the media, UGDP vice-president Radharao Gracias said though he welcomes Faleiro’s statement on Mopa, the new GPCC president should come on the streets and oppose the airport. “Faleiro himself had once sought for the Mopa airport. If he has changed his mind, he should publicly apologize for his mistake otherwise it would make us believe that he is only playing to the gallery. We have seen during the Medium of Instruction agitation, that the Congress has people who are known to double cross”, he said, while urging the Congress not to make mere statements but to take to the streets and oppose the airport.
Radharao expressed his shock that Alina is not seriously opposing Mopa, saying it is time for her to make her stand clear considering that she along with husband late Matanhy were opposing the new airport. “I do not know whether Matanhy had some deal with the BJP when he joined the party because he was always opposed to Mopa and the BJP was supporting Mopa”, he said.
Saying that the UGDP is ready and willing to support any movement that opposes Mopa airport, Radharao said the duty is cast on the Congress to take to the streets, accusing the party for initiating the process for the Mopa airport.
When his attention was drawn to CM’s statement that the RFQ had made provision for the continuation of Dabolim airport, Radharao shot back, “the bidder for the Mopa airport will not demand closure of Dabolim, but the Navy will do so the very next day after the commissioning of the new airport. The RFQ is meant for public consumption. Who will stop the Navy from demanding closure of Dabolim airport when Goa has a full-fledged airport at Mopa”, he questioned, reminding that Dabolim is available for civilian operations at the mercy of the Naval authorities.
CM fooling people on Mopa: GFDO
MARGAO: Goans for Dabolim Only on Friday accused Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for resorting to divisive politics in an attempt to justify an unjustifiable second airport for Goa in the absence of any logical arguments based on facts and reason.
“Parrikar seems to have conveniently forgotten that construction of Mopa airport was certainly not on the BJP manifesto, relying on which, the people of both North as well as South Goa gave his party a mandate to form the State government. Parrikar’s attempt to hoodwink the people that two airports (Dabolim and Mopa) will be economically viable in Goa, with less than 4 million passenger annual traffic is amusing. Why then Bangalore with 13 million passengers per year and Hyderabad with 9 million passengers per year had to close down government airports citing economic unviability of two airports? This despite the fact that Goa depends predominantly upon a fragile and unpredictable tourism industry for sustaining such a huge aviation infrastructure unlike dedicated business traffic in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Parrikar’s words are therefore amusing and are unbecoming of a chief minister. Does Parrikar think that his ill-administered State showcasing mounds of garbage all over South as well as North Goa, deteriorating law and order, lack of power, water and other crucial infrastructure, polluted and uncared for Goan beaches as against the pristine, virgin beaches of Sindhudurg will attract tourists to sustain Mopa Airport let alone two airports?, GFDO Convenor Fr Eremito Rebello demanded to know.
He said if the CM, looks around at the reality he will not delude himself or the people of Goa that there will be a “bigger tourism pie” with or without Mopa Airport. In fact, his intention of gifting 15 lakh sq. mts of land for pure commercial use, with FAR of 400% which can be compared to 20 times bigger scam than the SEZ scam, which together with its perpetrators was banished by Goans few years ago.
Fr Rebello said the people of Goa have not forgotten Parrikar’s sarcasm in requesting Congress leader Digvijay Singh on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Dabolim Airport terminal to “Consider us a part of India and convince the Defence Minister to part with 15 to 20 acres of land” for Dabolim Airport expansion. “Now that his own Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley are at the helm at the Centre, the Chief Minister should tell the people of Goa if he has made even a single official request for the additional land that he considered so crucial during the tenure of the erstwhile UPA government”, he added.
Fr Rebello said Parrikar’s imperious and autocratic utterance that “no force can ground Mopa airport” bodes ill for democracy in Goa because new projects should be conceived, envisioned and executed with the stamp of reason, logic and necessity”. From Parrikar’s divisive and overbearing tone it is amply clear that his unviable Mopa airport unfortunately, has none of these”, he added.
