Amid growing apprehensions about Dabolim airport going to shut shop shortly after Mopa International Airport becomes fully functional, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant gave yet another reassurance that the existing airport will not be closed. Sawant explained how the State and Centre would work on a plan to ensure that flights are shared between the two airports. The entire discourse of Dabolim likely to shut resurfaced after Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho expressed fears that the existing airport would eventually close if local taxis don't switch over to app-based services.
We fail to understand how the State can negotiate flight schedules for Dabolim. The memorandum of understanding signed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and GMR makes it explicitly clear on "necessary support" from the Centre. As per the concession agreement, GMR will have the right to operate the business for 40 years, extendable by another 20 years. Given the project's cost and revenue projections, GMR is not expected to settle for negotiations on flights, and the Centre would certainly not hurt GMR's interests here.
Moreover, the State has no authority to dictate terms or negotiate at this stage. Neither is Dabolim going to find favour with the Director General of Civil Aviation, which is the regulatory body. Considering the facilities on offer at Mopa, the new airport would be a preferred choice for all national and international flights, leaving Dabolim isolated for utility use. Even if the State pleads the Dabolim case, the ground conditions are not favourable even from the passenger standpoint because of the interconnectivity of flights and other logistical issues.
Secondly, why has the State government waited at this eleventh hour to decide on the number of flights that would land at Dabolim, a decision which is so crucial for its survival? Lest we forget, the foundation stone for the Mopa project was laid on November 13, 2016, amid raging opposition, especially from South Goa, and fears that Dabolim would be closed down. Given the seriousness of the issue, the government should have worked out these modalities and operational details of both airports long back because the government has consistently maintained that both airports would operate in tandem.
The fact that the governments are now going to put their minds to flight-splitting between both airports only raises suspicion, and the assurance on Dabolim sounds hollow.
Mauvin Godinho has gone hard at the taxi lobby to get them into an app-based system and may have used the Mopa development to instill fear in their minds. However, the underlying threat being held out and the helplessness that the minister is claiming over Mopa being a private airport again raises doubts about the State government's authority to pursue the matter seriously.
Sawant has spoken his mind on the floor of the House about why the Dabolim airport needs to stay. He has linked the survival of taxi operators and the hotels that drive the tourism sector from South Goa. Dabolim, being centrally located, provides equal business opportunities for both South and North Goa, an equation that may drastically change with the arrival of Mopa. While clouds of uncertainty hover over Dabolim again, Sawant must stop giving false hope and explicitly spell out how Dabolim will survive along with Mopa.
