CURCHOREM
Reacting to Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar's threats that an FIR would be filed against those opposing the proposed DefExpo project in Betul, the Orixtt Porjecho Avaz (OPA) has warned that people would fight against the project till the very end.
“In the process, if there is a law and order situation or bad international publicity, the Goa government authorities will be sorely responsibility for it,” warned OPA spokesman Freddy Fernandes in a press note.
“The chief minister wants people to study the project before protesting, but he should please let us know how to study the project when everything has been kept under wraps. None of the officials nor the politicians have clarified or come clean about the project, be it to the panchayat, the local MLA or the people at large,” claimed Fernandes.
“Everyone says its temporary, but the RTI information tells us that the defence minister has asked for 150 acres of land that was initially acquired for an Industrial estate, that should include 10,000 ft runway along the coast. How can an airport infrastructure be temporary and why does Goa need three airports in such close proximity,” asked Fernandes.
“Can the chief minister kindly tell us that if the project is temporary why does the defence minister require a runway along the coast? What has the DefExpo got to do with the coast? Was there a coast near the Pragathi Maidan (previous venue of DefExpo in Delhi),” asked Fernandes.
“To study the project, we do need a Project Report which has not been provided nor has any Environmental Impact Assessment study been done. Nor there has been a Social Impact Assessment done or even a feasibility study has not been done. There are laws that have to be followed for any project and here, no procedures have been followed whatsoever,” claimed Fernandes.
Claiming that it was the constitutional right of people to know the details as well as the pros and cons of the project, Fernandes added that it was also the constitutional right of the people to protest peacefully against unwanted projects.
“The panchayats of Naqueri-Betul, Ambelim, Assolna, Velim, Morpilla, Loutolim and Khola have passed resolutions against the DefExpo, so how can the Government bulldoze this project on us?”
“We will fight to the very end. Instead of threatening the people with FIR, the chief minister should follows basic guidelines and procedures in the first place by involving the MLA, panchayat and people at large in the decision-making of such projects,” Fernandes added.
