PANAJI
Former Union Law Minister Ramakant Khalap has suggested naming the Mopa airport after Goa's first chief minister Dayanand Bandokar and the existing one at Dabolim after Dr Jack de Sequeira, the first Leader of the Opposition.
Khalap, who himself has been Goa's Leader of the Opposition for three terms between 1980 and 1994, has suggested that it would be apt to honour former chief ministers and Opposition Leaders of Goa in "this year of 60th Anniversary of Goa's liberation".
Khalap, in a social media post said: Let's remember Goa's late Chief Ministers and Leaders of Opposition who contributed to Goa's development in a substantial way and commemorate their memories in appropriate ways."
He has named Dayanand Bandodkar, his daughter Shashikala Kakodkar, Dr Wilfred D'Souza and Manohar Parrikar, who are no more, as ex-Chief Ministers to be honoured and Dr Jack Sequeira and Anant (Babu) Nayak as the LoPs of yesteryears for the honour he suggested.
Khalap said, Mopa airport be named 'Dayanand International Airport' and Dabolim the 'Dr Jack De Sequeira International Airport.
The Goa University Complex be named 'Shashikala Kakodkar Knowledge City' and Goa Medical College Complex may be named as 'Dr Wilfred D'Souza Health City', Khalap's post on Facebook which has been gaining significant traction, says.
As for Parrikar, Khalap has not suggested any public edifice to be given his name since he argued the Manohar Parrikar Law School in Goa University as well as a Defence Research Institute in Delhi besides a mausoleum at Miramar already bear his name. Also, the Canacona highway is dedicated to his memory, Khalap added.
Making a reference to other former CMs and Opposition Leaders, including himself, -- Pratapsing Rane, Ramakant Khalap, Ravi Naik, Churchil Alemao, Digambar Kamat, Dr Pramod Sawant -- Khalap said they "are very much with us.."
"People' may think of them as and when... I wish them all a long life," the former Union law minister's post concluded.
