PANJIM: Reiterating that the DefExpo 2106 will be held only for four days, Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday announced that his Ministry is not interested in acquiring any land in Goa even if it is given “free of cost”. The Union Minister clarified that the issue on whether to hold the event on a regular basis in the State will be taken only after the expo in March.
“I know people of Goa very well. I don’t want any land to be acquired for the event. Even if it is given free of cost, we (Ministry) are not interested,” Parrikar told media persons in an informal chat, adding that ‘several private comunidades in the State have offered their land to be acquired for holding the event on permanent basis’.
“It is a four day event. It is basically an exposition and by mid-April, all the temporary structures will be removed. Goa is not a permanent location for the DefExpo,” the Union Minister said claiming that the exhibitors are basically looking for a touristic place for better promotion.
DefExpo 2016 is scheduled to be held from March 28 to 31 at Quitol village in Betul. The event is currently facing mass opposition from people who have expressed fear that the land would be acquired by the Defence on a permanent basis.
Expressing complete displeasure over the event being politicised, Parrikar said the decision on holding the event on a regular basis in the State will be taken only after the expo in March. “Certain sections, either purposely or with ignorance or with vested interest have tried to misguide people that Defence means land acquisition. There is no question of any land acquisition. The moment you speak about land acquisition there is public havoc in Goa. We can hold the event in Goa on a regular basis (every alternate year), but the venue need not be Betul only,” he said.
“The Ministry can sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Goa wherein as and when the land is required for holding the event, the same can be made available during that period. The exhibitors basically look for area next to the beach as they want more Naval participation,” Parrikar explained.
Interestingly, Parrikar also expressed that the Ministry is ready to finance, if the State government wants to build a permanent exhibition centre in Goa. “This need not be only for Defence, but other industrial sectors can also make use of it,” he added.
Endorsing Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar’s statement that the event will help in marketing Goa on the international platform, Parrikar said the four-day event will be a major boost to State, which will become a focal point on the world map.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and China do not feature in the list of 117 countries invited to participate in the DefExpo. “We have not invited Pakistan and China to exhibit their technology for the event. A delegation from China would be arriving but they cannot be called participants,” Parrikar said.
The Union Defence minister said 117 countries have been invited to participate in the event, apart from the 44 countries exhibiting their products. In all 881 companies will showcase their equipments.
