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PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the House that he was in no mood to reacquire the denotified Dabolim airport parking land saying that the State did not need it.
Responding to a query posed by Curtorim legislator Aleixo Lourenco, who questioned why the land was denotified in 2011-12, when the acquisition proceedings began nearly five years earlier and why was the government not moving to get the land back, Parrikar said he would do so, if the AAI gives it to him in writing that they need that land, else the State government does not need it.
“I have asked the AAI to give me in writing all of their requirements and I will ensure that they are fully satisfied. Let them come first,” Parrikar said adding that “Nothing has come from them in writing” and that “a piece of land 870 metres away cannot be used for parking, simply because no one will park his car 900 kilometres away and walk.”
Speaking of why and how the land was denotified, Parrikar said that it was a procedural irregularity.
Once the process was started, it should have been allowed to go ahead and if it was found that the AAI needed only part of the land that was acquired, they could have given them that and kept the rest for the State government, but that was done in 2010, Parrikar said without directly saying that it was the job of the previous government.
“In 2006 it was wrongly estimated, the procedure followed was wrong, It (the acquisition procedure) should have been continued… given the necessary land to the AAI and left the rest for the Goa government,” Parrikar said.
“I don’t feel it necessary to acquire it again,” Parrikar said.
He also said that once the new terminal is inaugurated, the old terminal can be converted into a multi storeyed parking lot.
“It (the land concerned) was supposed for CISF bunkers and not originally meant for parking, Multi level parking in at the old terminal.
Earlier Dabolim legislator Mauvin Godinho spewed passion in an effort to ensure that the message goes across that he had no hand in the Dabolim land denotification scam.
“He (Bernard Costa) wanted the entire thing dropped. I put my foot down,” Godinho said adding that there were two properties of Bernard Costa that were sought to be acquired and one was finally acquired.
