TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: With the new integrated Dabolim airport terminal building getting ready for commissioning within the next two months, the Airports Authority of India ((AAI) has underlined the need to create additional parking facilities and supporting infrastructure, including a cargo warehouse and a fuel farm in survey number 8/1 of Dabolim.
The AAI has also sought to know the status of the de-notified land admeasuring 9.2 acres in Dabolim village for mainstay parking, fuel station and cargo warehouse etc.
Sources said the AAI had asked the district collector, South last month the position vis-a-vis the de-notified land and whether the government has started the process of acquiring the land in survey number 8/1 for the proposed parking facility.
The AAI has also submitted a detailed note to the government, which amongst other things has reminded the state government that there’s no other suitable contiguous land in the vicinity of the airport to take care of parking and allied facilities.
What’s more, the AAI has told the government that though the airport will have an in-house parking facility for 500 vehicles, the facility will fall short of the requirements for buses and coaches.
Says a senior AAI officer “The in house parking lot may cater to 500 vehicles, but nearly half the capacity is likely to be occupied by vehicles owned by the staff and those connected with the airport. There isn’t going to be space available for coaches and buses for parking at the airport”.
The officer said that in the past, the AAI had impressed upon the Goa government that it would be imperative to develop adequate parking facility and also raise supporting infrastructure to achieve optimum benefit of the terminal building, having a capacity to handle 2750 passengers per hour.
The government has been informed that the existing terminal building is proposed to be levelled to pave way for apron expansion in order to increase aircraft parking to the required capacity, especially in the context of handling wide-bodied international charter aircraft.
Incidentally, the Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) has accused the Goa government for trying to strangulate the Dabolim airport by not re-notifying the de-notified land in survey number. 8/1 of Dabolim. GFDO has called upon the government to forthwith re-notify the land in question and meet the parking and other infrastructure requirements of Dabolim airport.
