Complete expressway before
airport at Mopa: TTAG
PANAJI
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has demanded that the state government complete the work on the expressway connecting North Goa to South Goa before the completion of the upcoming Mopa airport.
In a press note, TTAG said, “The expressway from North to South Goa needs to be completed so as to facilitate and improve the connectivity from the proposed new airport to South Goa including Salcete, Canacona, etc.”
The first phase of Mopa airport is likely to get commissioned in 2018-19. The state government has maintained that Dabolim airport will remain functional even after Mopa airport comes up. But, hoteliers in South Goa fear that hotels in North Goa will take their share as Mopa airport is much closer to North Goa.
Hoteliers had raised such concerns even when the tourism department had invited them for a discussion on interim tourism master plan. Hoteliers worry that once Mopa airport starts functioning, airlines will choose it over Dabolim airport as it is uneconomical to operate from two airports.
It is in this context that TTAG’s demand to build expressway between North Goa and South Goa should be seen.
The press note further said, “TTAG has called upon the government to implement its decision to construct the express way and for the purpose had a meeting with the chief minister and tourism minister to initiate the process of building the six-lane express way immediately and simultaneously with the award of the tender of the proposed new airport so that the hotels in South Goa are not prejudicially affected by the new airport.”
The current president of TTAG Savio Messias along with immediate past president of association met the chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar and tourism minister Dilip Parulekar.
TTAG further said in the press note, “The chief minister assured the delegation that the expressway will be ready before the airport is commissioned.”
