Naik said the Goa government has succumbed to the pressure of Defense Minister and has agreed to give 150 acres of land in Naqueri village in Quepem taluka for holding Defense Exposition. He said that while the Defense minister says it is required for five days, the chief minister said that it is only for one year
Security angle is Navy's ploy to grab precious land: MP
Refutes Real Admiral's claim that terrorists can fire missiles only from St George Island
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik has taken strong objection to the statement made by Real Admiral Puneet Bhal in Goa, on the occasion of Navy Day celebrations that the location of St George Island, Small Grande and Large Grande islands off the coast of Vasco, pose a security threat to defencse as also civilian aircrafts.
“This is a pretext to take control over precious land. If the apprehension is that terrorist can fire shoulder missiles from these islands, such missiles can be fired from any part of the coastal area of the State. In fact, it is easier to detect any such terrorists operating on any of these islands, where there is no population at all, than the places in Goa which are thickly populated,” Naik said.
He pointed out that some years back, some developers of real estate had made inquiries about making use of these island to construct holiday homes there and, as such, the government of Goa should not fall prey to the security angle, put forward by Navy.
“The defense Ministry had obtained Anjadive Islands off the coast of Goa, on grounds of security, many years back, and despite the written agreement, the Defense Ministry made a U-turn on the agreement, and stopped permitting members of the Christian community to offer prays there twice a year, as agreed,” he said.
He said the Defense Ministry has already recorded the land at Dabolim, belonging to comunidade and Goa government in their name without any documentary evidence, or title, adding “now, surprisingly, it appears that the Navy is interested in getting land at Mopa.”
Naik said the Goa government has succumbed to the pressure of Defense Minister and has agreed to give 150 acres of land in Naqueri village in Quepem taluka for holding Defense Exposition. “While the Defense minister says it is required for five days, Chief Minister said that it is only for one year. In reality the Defence Ministry requires the 150 acres of land, unofficially 250 acres, on long lease basis, depriving young boys and girls from getting jobs in the proposed industrial estate there, as per the plans of Goa Industrial Development Corporation,” he said, while asserting that the villagers of Naqueri and other neighbouring panchayats are strongly opposed to the project and have demonstrated their reservations before the deputy collector, Quepem.
