PANJIM: Congress on Thursday came down strongly on the government for the proposed constitution of the Goa Mopa Airport Development Authority Bill calling it draconian.
“This proposed authority will undermine local self governing bodies and all other statutory authorities. It will possess unbridled and unfettered powers super ceding all other authorities which is draconian. The authority can assume the shape of a monster,” Congress spokesperson Yatish Naik said at a press conference minutes before the Goa Legislative Assembly passed the Goa Mopa Airport Development Authority Bill.
Naik went on to state that the Bill was a sheer misadventure and an attempt to create an extra constitutional authority. “It may be perused from Section 6 of the proposed Bill which envisages and enlists the powers of the said authority. A wide sweep of powers are sought to be vested in the authority in utter disregard and contempt of the other statutes and statutory authorities governing the realm,” he said, stating that amongst other powers, the authority is sought to be vested with the powers of clearing proposals and bestowed the mandate of exercising the powers of Planning and Development Authority under the Goa Daman and Diu Town and Country Planning Act, 1975, a municipality under the Goa Municipalities Act, village panchayat under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 as the case may be in the Mopa Airport Planning area.
“It may be noted that the nature of sweeping powers sought to be conferred on the said authority are not only unheard of but an attempt to defeat the role and mandate of local self governing institutions like the panchayats and even the other statutory authorities which have been established by law. This act is thus most high handed in nature,” Naik added.
He read out the scope of Section 6 in vesting the authority with the power to issue clearances which may be read in light of Section 2 (c ) of the said act which defines ‘clearance’ as no objection certificates, consents, approvals, permissions, sanads, registration, enrollments, licenses and the like, required under the relevant law in connection with the setting up of the Mopa Greenfield International Airport, infrastructure facilities, developmental work and up gradation of existing infrastructural facilities connected with or relating to Mopa Greenfield International Airport project.
