TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Admitting that Environment Minister Alina Saldanha is not supporting the ongoing movement against the Mopa airport, Goans for Dabolim Only Convenor Fr Eremito Rebello on Monday hoped that the spirit of late Matanhy Saldanha guides the Cortalim MLA to take the right road which Matanhy had showed in favour of only one airport at Dabolim.
He also prayed to God that Matanhy’s spirit comes in Parrikar’s dream saying the Chief Minister is going against what Matanhy had stood for on the airport issue.
Fr Eremito also urged the people of Goa to ask their MLAs about their stand on the airport, with a plea to the MLAs to fulfil the aspirations of the people and not that of Parrikar. “I had proposed Alina’s name for Cortalim thinking she would walk in the footsteps of her late husband Matanhy. But today, I do not find it. She doesn’t seem to be with us on the airport issue. If she is with the movement, let her show it now by coming out in the open”, Fr Eremito said, while addressing the media to convey GFDO’s opposition to the government’s decision to float Request for Qualification (RFQ) on Mopa.
Fr Eremito said Alina can play a big role on the airport issue as she is the state’s Environment Minister with the Chief Minister hell bent on floating the RFQ without the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study.
Surely, Alina has a great role to play as Environment Minister. But, she is silent and what is it that makes her silent, Fr Eremito asked.
He said Alina will be silencing the voice of Matanhy if she remains silent on the issue given that Matanhy was on record in 2006 that Mopa should not come up at any cost and that anybody supporting Mopa is insincere.
Fr Eremito expressed shock that Parrikar is bracing up to float the RFQ when the Environment Impact Assessment report is not ready till date. “The Chief Minister should understand that most right thinking Goans do not support the manner in which his government is implementing the Mopa project by bypassing democratic norms and rules and the lack of transparency that seeks to divest the people of Goa of their legitimate stake in their land”, he added.
He said Parrikar will surely appreciate that a government is only a care taker put in place for five years to look after the welfare and concerns of the real stakeholders – the people of Goa. “How then can he push ahead with Mopa airport without making public the information and statistics upon which his government has based its assumption that both Mopa and Dabolim airports will be viable in the future”, he asked.
