AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
MOPA: The Goa government may have garnered Rs 31.51 crore as its revenue share from Mopa Airport in just three months from December 2024 to February 2025, but villagers of Warkhand-Nagzar near the airport say they feel short-changed and allege that they have not received fair compensation for land acquired for the
airport project.
One villager, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed deep frustration. “I have knocked on all doors, and none of the promises were kept,” he said, and his story was echoed by others in the area.
Residents like Dashrat Vital Aroskar say they were hopeful when the airport was first announced. However, Aroskar, who claims tenancy rights to land under Survey Numbers 84 and 76, says he has received
no payment.
“I should have received half the compensation as a tenant, and the other half should have gone to the landlord. But I’ve got nothing,” he said, while clearing fallen cashew fruits from the roadside.
Aroskar's disappointment is shared by others in the village. “There is no money, no jobs for our people. My educated son is sitting at home, tired of begging for work,” he added.
Further complicating matters, some villagers say they were misled about legal proceedings regarding land disputes.
“Someone told me they’d file a case for us, and later said we lost in the Supreme Court. I don’t even know what happened. That man now lives in Porvorim,” Aroskar said.
Nearby, Ulhas Vishal Naik, tending to his cattle, voiced similar concerns. “We’ve been told our areca nut trees will be cut and our homes demolished. After so many broken promises, all we can do is pray.”
Although roads have improved and commercial activity around the village has picked up – with new liquor stores and home-stays – many villagers say the gains have come at their expense. Motorbikes and taxis are now common sights, yet so too is a lingering sense of injustice.
“We are tenants, not landowners, but under the law, that still gives us rights,” said Kunta Parab, walking home with her young son. “But because we are uneducated, we are being taken for a ride. In this world of the rich, we are just animals.”
Parab also pointed to changes in the local education setup. “My son goes to the government primary school. The bigger school has shut down. Now, children have to go to Pernem to study. The airport changed our village, but it’s too soon to say if it’s for the better, especially for our children.”
On the village roads, young people in uniforms bearing airport facility logos wait for transport – one of the few visible signs of local employment.
Warkhand-Nagzar Sarpanch Gauri Govind Josalkar acknowledged the villagers’ grievances. “The Panchayat has tried to help, but we have limitations. The real issues lie higher up, and the land rates fixed by the government are too low,” she said. “It does appear that people are being exploited because of their economic status.”
Local youth like Amit Aroskar say nepotism is also a barrier to opportunity. “You need to be connected to get a job,” he admitted. “For us, the airport was supposed to be a way out of poverty. Now, only God can help us – not the government that built it on our land,” he said.