Dabolim airport to stay even if Mopa becomes reality: Sardinha

Dabolim airport to stay even if Mopa becomes reality: Sardinha  
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, JUNE 15
Chairman of the Estimates Committee of Lok Sabha Francisco Sardinha has asserted that the Dabolim airport will not be closed under any circumstances even if Mopa airport becomes a reality.
He submitted his view before members of the Estimates Committee of Lok Sabha at a meeting held at a resort at Betalbatim on Tuesday. Sardinha said the Committee has accepted the government’s stand that Dabolim airport cannot be closed down in the event of Mopa becoming a reality.
Sardinha further asserted that it’s better not to have the Mopa airport if it is to come at the cost of Dabolim airport.
Sources said members of the Estimates Committee sought to know whether there can be two international airports within a close distance or whether Dabolim will be closed if Mopa becomes a reality. To this, Committee Chairman said the government committee on the airport has put a condition to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry that Mopa airport cannot come at the cost of Dabolim airport.
He further said that the proposed airport at Mopa would be built under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model.
“We have put a condition to the Union Ministry that if Dabolim is going to be closed, we don’t want the proposed Mopa airport. Mopa is one side of the state. There is no harm in having two airports, but the Mopa airport should not be at the cost of Dabolim”, he said, when newsmen asked whether two airport can operate within a radium of 50 kms.
“There’s a wrong impression that two airport cannot co-exist within such a short distance. But, the Union government has approved both the airports only on the condition that Dabolim will not be closed down when Mopa becomes a reality”, Sardinha said.
The meeting reviewed the expansion work at the Dabolim airport and took into account that only 50 per cent of the land acquisition process for the proposed Mopa Airport stands completed till date.