Warns government over construction on de-notified land
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Accusing the government of conniving with builders to strangulate the Dabolim airport, Goans for Dabolim Only on Saturday demanded an immediate stop to the construction activity on the Dabolim airport de-notified parking land, warning that the people of Goa will act in a befitting manner if the government does not re-notify and acquire the de-notified land for parking.
“We will not remain silent spectators if government does not stop the construction work and re-notify the parking land. The people of Goa will act if the government fails to act. We will not sit quite on our twin demands,” warned Fr Eremito Rebelo at a media briefing on Saturday.
He said GFDO will convey the warning to the Parrikar government and wait for some time for it to act, before intensifying its agitation. He said the arbitrary and misconceived decision to de-notify the acquisition of the vital land cannot have any other obvious motive, but to help builders, who are now speedily constructing buildings on de-notified lands. The malafide act of the government may also have a hidden motive to strangulate the Dabolim airport by depriving it of space essential for expansion, thereby creating an artificial space for Mopa airport. By denying this piece of just 36,800 square metres of land to Dabolim airport, our government is attempting to coerce Goa for squandering 82 lakh square metres of land for a new airport at Mopa,” he asserted.
Fr Rebelo said that the imminent commissioning of the second terminal at Dabolim will require parking and other city-side facilities in the immediate future. “The land bearing survey no 8/1 of Dabolim village will have to be acquired inevitably, so much so that even if there were buildings, it would have been a fit case for demolishing the same and providing them equivalent accommodation elsewhere,” he said.
“It is shocking that the decision to de-notify was taken in spite of objections from AAI, warning there was no alternate land for parking. “Two years have passed since the de-notification, yet the government is still searching for this mysteriously untraceable land, while constructions are coming up at unbelievable speeds on the de-notified lands. It is ironic that the present government led by Parrikar has been a mute spectator to this strangulation of Dabolim, while Mopa is put on fast track. This is a big mystery. Both Congress and BJP have connived with the builders,” he asserted.
