HELI-TOURISM TAKES
A DIVE AS GOA GOVT
GOES INTO SAFE MODE
>> See Edit on pg 8
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MAPUSA: Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza on Thursday hinted that his government may have mishandled the heli-tourism issue and suggested that it should have first consulted the people before arriving at a decision.
“The government should have first put the proposal before the people and then take a decision rather than vice versa,” said D’Souza, to a specific question from The Goan.
Insisting that the issue should have been debated first, he said, “the government should have consulted the people and followed the down-to-top approach rather than top-to-down.”
The deputy chief minister was speaking on the sidelines after inaugurating the District Early Intervention Centre for disabled children at the North Goa District Hospital (Asilo).
On Wednesday, Chief Minister, Laxmikant Parsekar put on hold the helicopter joy ride service at Aguada plateau after facing a growing public protest against the joy rides.
The deputy chief minister, however, said that he personally felt that heli-tourism was a good service.
“Heli-tourism takes place all over the world. You get an aerial view of the whole place and that view cannot be understood from the ground. Per se, I feel one should not object to it,” he said.
He said that there was no harm in building helipads in other parts of the State and if there was a proposal for land before him, he would examine it.
“If somebody is asking for land, then we will have to look into it. So far, nobody has officially asked for it. So giving (land) doesn’t arise. If the request comes, we will surely examine it,” said D’Souza, who is also the revenue minister, when asked whether he would allow helipads on any revenue land in the State.
“Revenue land does not mean that it is available for construction of helipad. It could be forest, agricultural, orchard land or it could also be a no-development zone. You also need to get NOCs from TCP and various other departments,” he added.
He further mentioned that activism or public awareness was growing by the day in the State and wondered if all of it was good.
“Many times a vocal minority overrides the silent majority,” he lamented.
“If the government has taken a wrong decision, then the court is the right forum to raise any grievance and get a relief. If that procedure is followed then there won’t be any issues,” he said.
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The government should have first put the proposal before the people and then take a decision rather than vice versa
- Francis D'Souza, Deputy Chief Minister
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NOT A PROJECT OF
CONG GOVT: GPCC
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary and spokesperson Agnel Fernandes on Thursday sought to clarify that heli-tourism was never a project of the erstwhile Congress government.
Speaking to the media at Congress House, Fernandes rejected the allegations levelled by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo. "During the term of Congress-led government, Nilkanth Halarnkar had received the proposal and a consultant was also appointed. But no steps were taken to push the project thereafter," he said.
Fernandes further added that, over last four years, Lobo was aware of the file movement within BJP-led government and that Aguada plateau site was chosen after consultation with him. "There has probably been a fallout within BJP which has made Lobo oppose heli-tourism at Aguada now," Fernandes alleged.
He also condemned razing of a local shack in Calangute while linking the incident with opposition to basing the helipad at Aguada and termed it as 'revengeful politics'.
Meanwhile, GPCC general secretary and spokesperson Adv Yatish Naik condemned the detention of Fernandes and other members of Candolim panchayat at Aguada helipad on Wednesday.
Adv Naik stated, "Congress condemns government's high-handedness and abuse of power in using available machinery to detain them. We will stand by the genuine demand of the people."
