MARGAO
and “GMRponn” using the State’s scarce resources and at the cost of the Goan economy and its tourism industry, the Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) has said the commencement of work by GMR on the contentious Mopa airport project is yet another instance of the State government’s anti-people attitude and total disregard of the democratic rights of Goans.
Pointing that since the government has now decided that there will be two international airports in tiny Goa - Dabolim and Mopa, GFDO has requested the State government to make public the facts and figures of distribution of passenger and cargo traffic between the two airports, that will be catering to Goan needs and not that of gigantic and huge neighbouring states which have plenty of their own resources to fulfill their own aspirations, as compared to Goa, the tiniest State in India.
GFDO further said the people of Goa would like to know from the alliance partners, particularly Goa Forward Party, which was a vociferous opponent of the Mopa airport project, what it intends to do about this contradiction in its stated principles and stands, based upon which it was voted in by the electorate.
GFDO convenor Fr Eremito Rebelo said that the government needs to explain to the people of Goa how it has handed over land that does not yet belong to the State, to a private party as the local BJP MLA Babu Azgaonkar himself has admitted that his government has not meted justice to many land owners, who are still struggling either to get the money or their land back. “It is abundantly clear that the entire Mopa project is being built upon a foundation of total and unprecedented contempt for democratic rights, its due processes and the very democratic system itself. The Parrikar government is well aware that there are two ongoing cases in the NGT against the Mopa Airport and one in the Supreme Court,” He said.
He said that the spirit of democracy and public responsibility demanded that the Mopa Airport processes be halted until completion of the judicial processes.
