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BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE
* Structural set at venue tendered for Rs 70 crore
* Tendering for internal furnishings at Rs 300 crore
* All five star hotels in South Goa fully booked
* Lower star hotels, and also taxis have been booked
* Over 5,000 staff expected to descend in the state
* Also, over 1-lakh business delegates coming to Goa
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ABOUT THE EVENT
* From March 28 to 31
* 870 nations coming
* Up from 550 in 2014
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PANAJI: The coming of DefExpo to Goa will bring in around ₹400 crore of money into the state, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar announced as he sought to extol the benefits of the four day event.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday evening, Parsekar said that with all the furnishing and structural elements for the temporary structures to be procured locally, he expected more than ₹400 crore would be pumped into the state out of which ₹100 crore would be government revenue generated through various taxes.
“The entire structural set up for the venue have been tendered for ₹70 crore. The internal furnishings have been tendered for ₹300 crore. Besides this all five star hotels in South Goa are fully booked and even the lower star hotels are being booked, taxis have been booked,” Parsekar said adding that more than 5,000 staff are expected to descend in the state as well as over 1-lakh business delegates of the various companies.
“We are organising the event at a time when the tourism season is fading away. It will give a boost to the tourism sector in the State. It is like organising a Sunburn but during the off season,” Parsekar said.
The event to be held from March 28 to 31 will witness the participation of 870 countries, up from the 550 it was in 2014 when the event was held in Delhi.
Parsekar instead blamed the opposition on the fact that “fortunately or unfortunately it is coming to Goa in an election year.”
“All the internal furnishings will be procured locally from Goa,” Parsekar said adding that a special presentation on the issue of the DefExpo was being held at the South Goa Collectorate to explain several issues relating to the expo to those who have doubts and those who are opposing the holding of the even in Quittol plateau near Betul including panchayat members, members of the Orixtt Porjecho Avaz, who are opposing the expo and others.The work on setting up the infrastructure for the project is expected to commence tomorrow. Several political parties including the Congress have vowed to oppose the project tooth and nail.
