PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said operations of seaplanes and small aircrafts are on the radar of the Union Civil Aviation ministry which will tremendously boost Goa's tourism potential.
Sawant, who spoke to media after attending a meeting of the Sagarmala Apex Committee, said it will help enhance the scope and class of Goa's tourism and also throw up potential economic opportunities.
At the meeting chaired by Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbanand Sonowal Sawant said, fruitful deliberations were held regarding the progress of the Sagarmala project which incidentally has been received with suspicion, particularly after it entailed nationalisation of the State's rivers.
“Made my submission for inclusion of institutions like National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), National Institute for Polar & Ocean Research, Council of Scientific Research for increasing the scope and adopt research driven approach to implement the project,” Sawant said.
Mormugao Port, which is the nucleus of all Sagarmala-related projects in the State has been the target of sustained protests for several years in Goa.
Meanwhile, Sawant said Goa's share of India's exports will rise with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thrust on ports-led development through the Sagarmala project.
The ambitious Sagarmala project encompasses an investment of Rs 55 lakh crores in 802 projects across the country by 2035. The Centre claims 202 projects worth Rs 99,281 crore are completed and another 200 worth Rs 2.12 lakh crore are in progress.
