VASCO: Panchayat Minister and Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho has expressed surprise over the overnight conversion of land opposite the Dabolim airport from being used for civic amenities into defence land.
According to Godinho, a huge area of land opposite to Dabolim Airport and adjacent to Rajhans theatre in Chicalim belongs to Chicalim Comunidade which had agreed to give the same to the Airport Authority of India to solve their parking problems. However, he said, in an attempt to usurp the land, the navy suddenly erected a board at the site stating that the property belongs to them.
“Currently, people have been using these open lands as parking facility and we wanted to develop it into a good modern parking facility. All these while navy had cooperated and now this action of the navy where they erected a board mentioning they are the owners of the land is big surprise to me. I strongly oppose the move made by navy,” Godinho said.
He pointed out that during various depositions before deputy collector, it has been made very clear that the said land belonged to Chicalim comunidade and the same would be used for airport parking.
“At that point of time, navy had consented to the same and this issue was being very closely monitored by the collector also. Now, when finally the issue had reached a closure, erecting a board claiming that the land belongs to Defence does not speak well of protecting civilian interests to which navy had otherwise shown their deep commitment,” Godinho stated.
“In fact, I will take up this issue with the navy as well as the Airport Authority of India and the collector as even in the ODP which was notified some six years ago, the land is notified as parking area outside the airport. Also, if it was navy’s property, then, till now why they failed to put a compound all around this property. I had even produced their (navy’s) own record where they said that the land outside their present compound wall does not belongs to them. Navy has given such details even to a private person in one of the hearings. On the other hand, the comunidade had shown all documents that the land belongs to them. I would strongly oppose the action taken by the navy,” Godinho said.
