VASCO: To eradicate growing stray dog menace at Dabolim international airport, the State government would soon deploy a special dog-catcher squad at the airport, informed Panchayat Minister and Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho on Saturday.
He was addressing newsmen after the maiden meeting of Airport Advisory Committee held at Dabolim airport on Saturday.
Goa airport Director BCH Negi, TTAG President Savio Messias, officials from Navy, police, tourism and various other stakeholders attended the meeting. On the occasion, Godinho also inaugurated newly renovated washroom facilities for male and female passengers. In female toilets, the airport has also installed automatic sanitary vending machines.
“Even though Dabolim is an international airport, we have dogs running along the highway. Similarly, there are stray dogs both at arrival and departure gates at Goa airport. Presence of stray dogs at the airport does not send a good image of Goa airport where tourists from across India and abroad arrive/depart daily. Hence, I have assured to Airport Authority of India (AAI) that I will deploy a special squad/cell only for the airport so that the menace can be curbed in toto,” Godinho said.
Complementing the AAI for taking various initiatives for increasing passenger amenities at the Dabolim International Airport, Godinho also assured to help AAI in getting comunidade land for creating additional parking facilities. “By July this year, the multilevel car parking would be operational and this would resolve exiting parking problems at the airport. Besides, we are planning to use the vacant comunidade land adjacent to Rajhans theatre as well as land beside the road leading to Assoi-Dongri to create modern airport parking facility. The State government will move fast so that AAI gets this additional land and develop the facility faster,” he informed.
“All these efforts only show that the airport authority in tandem with central government agencies along with the State government is in the process of having truly world class facilities for the passengers in and outside the airport. Whatever shortcomings are there, we will see that the same is resolved or they become something of the past,” Godinho claimed.
