Sources in the government said the file, which was cleared by the Goa Industrial Development Corporation about four months ago, has been cleared by the chief minister. The land will be handed over to the Defence Ministry for a lease period of 90 years.
Parsekar’s decision comes close on the heels of the Betul gram sabha resolving against handing over land for the Defence Expo.
The official defence trade exhibition, Defexpo India, will be held in Goa in 2016, moving out of the national capital for the first time since the bi-annual exhibition started 15 years ago.
Defence ministry officials insist that the move is not linked to the fact that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is from Goa. It was prompted by a host of other factors, including non-availability of Pragati Maidan, the permanent exhibition ground in Delhi for next year’s edition.
Among India’s biggest exhibitions and one of the largest trade shows of land, naval and homeland security in the world, Defexpo 2014 had 624 foreign companies from 30 countries. Over 30,000 square meter area was occupied by the exhibition of items ranging from battle tanks and missiles to homeland security solutions and rifles.
The 9th Defexpo will be held in Betul on land allocated by the State. The entire show will be hosted in temporary tents, unlike permanent halls in Pragati Maidan.
Officials said the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) that owns Pragati Maidan had told them last year that the complex would not be available. A new convention centre is being planned to come up in the complex.
The Defence Exhibition Organisation, which organises the military exhibitions, had approached the Goa government with the proposal to hold the show in that State, officials said.
