PANJIM: Referring to the Louis Berger bribery scam, Goans For Dabolim Only (GFDO) on Thursday hit out against the Mopa airport project. The organisation that has been questioning the feasibility of the airport has now asked that the project not only be scraped but also investigated thoroughly.
“Since the credibility and integrity of Louis Berger has been called into question, its technical report should also come under microscopic scrutiny given the high stakes involved. We demand that the State government should at least now, scrap the Mopa airport project until the questions, doubts and suspicions raised in public domain about this disaster are answered,” GFDO convenor Fr Eremito Rebelo said.
He added that there was a need to scrutinize all policies that have been involved in it.
In response to the airport itself, Edwin Pinto pointed that the organisation was not against development but wanted “to promote eco-friendly tourism that would generate jobs for locals and not outsiders. There should be human development in the form of health and education. Why not set up an educational hub in the area like an IIT?”
The organisation also said the scam cuts across party lines pointing to the need for the people of Goa to question the government.
“Projects associated with JICA and Mopa can’t drive unless the government is also on board. Without their support, they wouldn’t succeed. Therefore it seems that the scam cuts across party lines since it involves not only BJP but Congress too,” said member Avinash Tavares.
