PANJIM: “Mopa Greenfield international airport is my baby,” Leader of Opposition Pratapsing Rane told the Goa Assembly on Monday while openly extending his support to the airport, which is strongly opposed by the South Goa Congress legislators.
Rane’s statement was however strongly countered by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who sarcastically said “this (Mopa) was not accepted by you (Rane) during election (Lok Sabha).”
Chief Minister even boasted that the BJP won the South Goa Lok Sabha seat despite supporting Mopa airport.
“This was basically because we never said that Dabolim international airport would not be closed down,” he said while replying to the cut motion moved by the Opposition to demand for grants for the airport.
As Parrikar was speaking on the airport issue, Rane, interrupting in between said “Mopa is my baby…I had raised objection to setting up of airport at Kitla village (Quepem taluka)”. Supporting him, Chief Minister tabled a note put up by Rane, during his tenure as Chief Minister in 1996 to Airport Authority of India (AAI) stating that Goa will not put up airport on Kitla plateau but proposed to set it up at Mopa, with an aim to complete the same within two years. “I am very much with your demand…I support you,” Chief Minister said on the Floor of the House.
Parrikar reiterated that the Dabolim airport will never be closed down. Rane, who had in the past indirectly extended its support to the Mopa airport, came out openly in support of Mopa for the first time. The Leader of Opposition had distanced himself from the issue during the Lok Sabha election by stating that though Mopa is required there is no hurry in going ahead with the project.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar assured that government, in consultation with the Centre, would work out mechanism to improve the condition of the new integrated terminal. Admitting that the condition of the terminal is bad, he said there is scope of improvement and the same would be looked into.
The Opposition benches had Monday afternoon grilled the government over the bad condition of new terminal, wherein Rane had said that this is the worst airport terminal he has come across.
Rane, who had in the past indirectly extended its support to the Mopa airport, came out openly in support of Mopa for the first time
