TEAM HERALD
[email protected]
MARGAO: Asserting that the Mopa monster defeats the very purpose of Special Status for Goa, social activist Dr Oscar Rebello on Sunday thundered that Special Status will be a still born child if the disaster called Mopa visits Goa, while making an impassioned plea to Goans from across the world to mount pressure on Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to step back and scrap the proposed airport at Mopa.
Speaking at a meeting organised by Goa’s Movement for Special Status at the the Dando grounds, Benaulim this evening, Dr Rebello warned that Special Status will fall on its face and will never take place if the state allows Mopa to become a reality. He underlined the need to support Fr Eremito Rebello’s movement against Mopa, saying Fr Rebello is a man with a conscience, who has gone out there to say that Mopa should not come. “This voice should be loud enough and reasonable enough and reach the supremo (Manohar Parrikar). I still believe that we have a leader who listens, though he thinks he is doing best for Goa”, he said.
Dr Rebello said the main reason why Goans should object to Mopa is because it is a complete real estate scam taking place in the vicinity of the proposed airport. “People, including ministers and legislators have bought large tracts of land for a song and are waiting to make a killing”, he said.
He cautioned that Parrikar’s interest might be sincere in building an airport, but neither he nor Alina Saldanha will not be able to control the real estate boom in the future, predicting that half a million people may come and settle down near Mopa.
Meanwhile, the Goans for Dabolim Only forum held two meetings in Salcete on Sunday. While the first meeting was held in the tourist hub of Cavelossim, the organisation held another meeting at Sao Jose de Areal to drum up support for the May 15 rally at the Lohia Maidan.
At the meeting at Cavelossim, speakers cautioned that Dabolim will be closed down once Mopa becomes a reality.
