Congress MP Shantaram Naik, who had asked a question, feared that it means review of the Cabinet decision to have both Dabolim and Mopa as announced by then civil aviation minister Praful Patel while laying the foundation for upgradation of Dabolim.
Naik said he immediately rang up Patel to remind his categorical statement that the Cabinet has decided to cancel an earlier decision to close down Dabolim, once Mopa airport is commissioned. He said Patel told him that the Cabinet had indeed taken a decision to keep the Dabolim airport open for civilian operations even after commissioning of Mopa airport and so the government can’t review that decision again.
Naik said the previous UPA government has already reviewed the decision to close down Dabolim and decided to keep it open and hence it is intriguing if the Modi government wants to review again the decision of its closure.
In his written reply, minister Mahesh Sharma says: “Union Cabinet’s decision regarding closure of existing Dabolim airport at Goa might be reviewed so as to permit the continuance of Dabolim for civilian operations even after the commissioning of the new international airport at Mopa.”
He said a 6-member committee set up by the Centre on January 27, 2006 under the chairmanship of the Goa chief minister had also recommended that it was possible to operate both Dabolim Civil Enclave and Mopa airport simultaneously and to go ahead with the construction of an international airport at Mopa.
The Committee had inter-alia recommended that the expansion and upgradation of Dabolim airport should be continued and completed as scheduled, the minister added. The committee which was formed to look into all aspects relating to construction of the new airport at Mopa and whether to continue or close down Dabolim had as its members: two Lok Sabha members and one Rajya Sabha member from Goa, the Goa chief secretary and the joint secretary of the civil aviation ministry. Dr Sharma said the committee had met seven times to formulate its report.
