MARGAO
The Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) on Tuesday said the state government is duty-bound to place before its people a factual and honest white paper on its outdated dual airport policy, and the complexities of sustaining it considering the major and irreversible changes it has made through its coal transportation policy, which runs contradictory to this dual airport policy and the State tourism policy.
Addressing the media, GFDO Convenor Fr Eremito Rebello said the GFDO has commended and greatly appreciated the Airports Authority of India’s initiative to expand the Dabolim Airport -- extension of the existing integrated terminal building and apron.
He said after the completion of this expansion, Dabolim airport will be well equipped to serve Goa’s aviation needs for decades to come.
He, however, said since the capacity of Dabolim airport will increase to 1.1 crore passengers per year, questions will be raised again about the feasibility and relevance of the proposed Mopa airport.
“Hence the State, which is reeling under huge financial debt, urgently needs to re-evaluate if Goa’s aviation needs and projections will be able to support two airports in the tiny State. To this purpose, it is imperative that the Government comes out with a white paper on the future of Goa’s tourism industry,” he said.
Fr Eremito said the white paper needs to seriously examine whether it is likely that tourists will choose a coal transportation hub called Goa as a holiday destination in the future.
He referred to the recent justification for Mopa airport appeared in the Official Gazette on Thursday under “Export Strategy Of Goa” wherein the government hinted at repositioning Mopa as a cargo hub rather than a passenger airport, claiming that “initiatives requiring large investment to facilitate trade through Dabolim seem unviable in view of the development of Mopa airport, the first phase of which is likely to be completed in 2020.”
Fr Eremito has warned that if the State Government proves to be unwilling to re-examine the relevance of its dual airport policy for Goa given the changed circumstances since it was first conceptualised during Goa’s tourism heyday, then it is a given that the Mopa project will collapse due to low passenger and cargo traffic.
“It will be no surprise to Goans if the existing Mopa contractor sells this unviable airport project to a favoured industrialist, followed by the handing over of the newly expanded Dabolim airport by the government to the same industrialist to make it financially viable as has happened in the case of Mangaluru and other airports recently,” he added.
