PANAJI
The Mopa Airport Development Authority (MADA) will now have a State government appointee as its chairman, according to an amendment passed by the Goa legislative assembly in January and now published in the official gazette.
The Goa (Mopa Airport Development Authority) (Amendment) Act, 2023 was passed in January and provides for the government to name a chairperson in addition to twelve other members including the Chief Secretary.
Earlier before the amendment, the Chief Secretary was the chairperson of MADA which is also the planning and development authority (PDA) for the Mopa International Airport Planning Area which has jurisdiction over several panchayats around the airport.
It has the mandate to prepare Outline Development Plan (ODP) for the area in accordance with the Concession deal between the Goa government and GMR Goa International Airport Limited which was signed in 2016.
Besides the chairperson who will be appointed by the State government and the Chief Secretary, the other members of MADA are the finance secretary, TCP secretary, civil aviation secretary, urban development secretary, secretary for panchayats, chief town planner, principal chief Conservator of Forests and director of health services besides director of civil aviation as member secretary.
