PANJIM: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has been caught plain lying on the issue of giving land to the Manohar Parrikar led Defence ministry for the much touted DefExpo. Documents of correspondence between the Goa government and the Ministry of Defence, procured and made public by an NGO Gen Next, reveal that an in principle approval has been given by the Goa government “FOR ALLOTMENT OF LAND ON PERMANENT BASIS FOR ORGANISING THE DEFEXPO AND AERO INDIA AT NAQUERI BETUL”.
Without even doing any due dilligence or survey, the CM has directly approved the allotment of 150 acres of land for a permanent venue which is exactly what Manohar Parrikar has asked for.
This is damning evidence which exposes the falsehood uttered by the Chief Minster. Defending the allocation of GIDC land to the Ministry of Defence for the expo and Aero show, Chief Minister Parsekar was trying to control local opposition by saying that the land will be leased only temporarily for the period of the exhibition give or take a few days to set up and wind up.
Speaking to Herald, the Chief Minister said that the land handed over to Defence is purely temporary, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that the State has granted permission to the Defence ministry to the land only for hosting Defexpo.
Parsekar, speaking to Herald, said that the land has not been leased out but only permission has been granted to host the event for a year. The state government may use the same land for other purposes like exhibitions etc, which will benefit the State, for the rest of the year, he said.
NGO Gen Next, released a letter dated July 7, 2015 from Under secretary Industries, Goa Govt, Shashank Thakur, to the Secretary Department of Defence Procurement, conveying the in principle approval of the Goa government for allotment of land “on a permanent basis” for both the Defexpo and the Aero show.
It is clear that while in 2016 only the Defexpo will be held, but these two shows are held biennially with one conducted each year. The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, in his letter to Chief Minister Parsekar on 12 June had specifically asked for “150 acres of land along the coastline which can accommodate 10,000 feet runway along the coast” for a “permanent venue” for the Aero Show and Defexpo. Mr Parikar stated that the venue would be developed as a modern exhibition/convention centre”
So there you have it. There is nothing temporary about this. It is also important to note that the GIDC was “informed” of the government’s decision explicitly conveying that its mind was made up. While the approval of the Goa government was sent to the Defence Ministry on July 7, 2015, the issue was placed as an Additional Agenda note of the 344th board meeting of the GIDC, later July 15, 2015.
An autonomous body like the GIDC has clearly been treated as a puppet being used to only implement decisions taken on the basis of just one letter by the Defence Minister asking for land.
This was treated not as a request but an order by the Parsekar government.
