BETUL: On July 17, 2013, the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar announced that no more land would be granted to the Central government agencies, come 2015 the then CM is now the Defence Minister of India and has taken another U-turn, which he is famously known for, by granting prime land for Defence Expo.
Literally dictated by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, the Goa government, through the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), has approved allocation of 150 acres of land to the Defence Ministry on a permanent basis for organizing the Defexpo and Aero India shows.
However, the ground reality is that this small village of Quitol, Betul has been almost grabbed by the Goa Industrial Development Corporation and the Central Government agencies, which has irked the locals more as according to them these expos would not help the unemployed youth.
Herald, as it always does, went Quitol to sift reality from rhetoric.
Inquiries revealed that besides this six lakh sq metres of land, which is now served to the Defence Ministry on a platter, another central government agency the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has acquired around 12 lakh sq metres of land and out of that 95 per cent has remained unutilised.
Besides, the GIDC has another six lakh metres of land in the same village in their possession.
In all, 24 lakh sq metres of land in small village has been acquired for no benefit to locals.
Betul residents speaking to Herald were critical of such huge tracts of land is being used in their village.
“We do not need this, we would prefer IIT or an industrial estate in the area as it will benefit our locals,” said Krishna Velip.
Another local Shamba Desai went on to say that the whole mess has been created by the local MLA Babu Kavalekar, who unnecessarily acquired huge land for GIDC and did nothing.
Betul sarpanch Krishna Desai told Herald, the villagers and the panchayat has been totally kept in the dark by the government and the GIDC.
“We went to ask the MD of GIDC about his latest gift to Manohar Parrikar and he says he has no information and the corporation has just received a letter from government to hand over land to the defence ministry,” Desai said.
Desai said the local MLA Babu Kavalekar has to tell people what is happening why huge lands are being acquired.
“GIDC has total around 12 lakh sq metres of land (including 6 lakh for Defence) while the ONGC has 12 lakh sq metres of land, which has remained unutilised,” he said, adding “ONGC when it came in, had promised jobs for the locals but nothing like that has happened.”
Locals also suggested that if land has to be given to Defexpo give it from the one which is lying unutilised with ONGC.
“ONGC has acquired 12 lakh metres of land and has utilised just five percent of that and the remaining is unutilised so as to take that land and hand over to Defence for their plans,” said Velip.
Quepem legislator Babu Kavalekar, who stays at the stone’s throw away from this land, said that he has raised the issue in the just-concluded Assembly session.
“When I was GIDC chairman I had acquired this land for industry so that the locals would benefit from the jobs created in the industry that would come in, but unfortunately it never started and now the government has handed it over to the Defexpo,” Kavalekar said.
The former GIDC chairman said that he would prefer and industry like IIT, which would help the youth rather than the Defexpo as it would help no one.
Kavalekar also pointed out that the six lakh sq mts land given to Defence is a part of the 8 lakh that was acquired by IDC for Food Park but Defence has taken only the main middle part and the rest of 2 lakh is almost unusable.
“The land also has a Ajoba temple, I do not know what the government is planning to do with it,” he said.
On allegations that he acquired huge chunks of land, Kavalekar replied, “it was because I acquired land this area has remained safe till now otherwise it would been finished by the bauxite miners, who had an eye on the area.”
This statement is ironical since Kavalekar had a controversial stint as IDC chairman, when the GIDC plot scam took place and an investigation was ordered by the Anti Corruption Bureau. And his comment on the area being safe is amusing since not a single inch of land actually grabbed from the people has benefited them.
