Alleges plan to ease financial pressure on ‘reckless private venture’
Goans For Dabolim Only (GFDO) convenor Fr Eremito Rebello makes a point on plans to shut Dabolim airport.
MARGAO
Questioning whether Dabolim airport will be sacrificed to save GMR-run Mopa airport, the Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) on Tuesday warned that any attempt to curtail or shut civil aviation operations at Dabolim would trigger strong public resistance.
GFDO convenor Fr Eremito Rebello pointed out that Dabolim airport supports a large part of Goa's economy and is a critical lifeline for the state, asserting that Dabolim cannot be bartered away to compensate for what it termed a "reckless and ill-conceived private venture."
Addressing the media, Fr Eremito said that it comes as absolutely no surprise that moves are reportedly underway to shut down Dabolim Airport for civil aviation in order to prop up the struggling Mopa Airport run by the GMR Group.
He recalled that GFDO had repeatedly warned both the government and prospective bidders that the Mopa Airport project was fraught with serious structural and financial risks, concerns that were supported by expert reports from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Aéroports de Paris Ingénierie (ADPi) that had earlier flagged the project's feasibility concerns.
“The mounting financial losses suffered by the Mopa Airport in the past three years of its operation are therefore only the predictable consequence of GMR's decision to plunge into this deeply flawed and commercially unsound project,” he said.
He added: “The constraints of keeping Mopa Airport competitive vis-à-vis Dabolim Airport have undoubtedly put severe restrictions on GMR's ability to levy the high user development fees and tariffs required to recover its massive costs and cover losses. This problem would be smoothly resolved for Mopa Airport if the convenient and centrally located Dabolim airport was closed for civil aviation, leaving GMR free to impose steep charges on passengers, airlines, and businesses, at the direct expense of Goans and visitors alike.”
GFDO further alleged that GMR's interests would definitely be a high priority with a government whose past track record has been characterised by total dedication to the vested interests of its favoured corporates, even at heavy cost and detriment to the people and the state of Goa.
“Vast tracts of land were taken from vulnerable villagers and farmers for the airport project, while public funds were poured into extravagant infrastructure. This includes signature bridges and intrusive highway expansions that have torn through communities and the fragile environment, all to provide connectivity to Mopa Airport to the rest of the state from its questionable location in the extreme north of Goa,” he said.
GFDO also pointed to repeated assurances by the Chief Minister and ministers that Dabolim would remain open for civil aviation, assurances that now appear increasingly hollow in light of multiple high-level visits to Delhi to meet the Union Defence Minister reportedly concerning Dabolim's future.
Fr Rebello accused the government of taking the people for a ride, saying the government's promises were turning out to be nothing more than political tiatr designed to buy time until elections are over. “The reality is that Dabolim is being lined up for sacrifice so that a private operator's financial gamble can be rescued, which will be nothing short of a betrayal of public trust,” he said.
He added: “If Dabolim was shut, the people of Goa would pay the price through higher costs, massive inconvenience, and disruption of livelihoods, all to protect the interests of a corporate entity. The governance model has been exposed as one where citizens are treated as disposable vote banks, useful during elections and ignored immediately after. Post-elections is the time most probably when Dabolim Airport will be sacrificed at the altar of Mopa Airport's interests. Goans must recognise what is happening before it is too late.”
