MARGAO
All appears calm atop the Quitol plateau when many had anticipated turbulence over the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board’s (GIPB) in-principle approval to M/s Skydiving Adventures Pvt Ltd to establish an integrated aero sports and aviation ecosystem at the Quitol Industrial Estate.
The project, which includes adventure tourism, aviation training, drone manufacturing, and hospitality facilities, is proposed on Goa IDC land measuring a substantial 2,45,459 sq mts.
Earlier this week, The Goan highlighted the GIPB’s in-principle nod for the project. However, there has been no public reaction from Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa, his predecessor and BJP leader Chandrakant Kavlekar, or local bodies regarding the development.
When contacted by The Goan, D’Costa stated that neither the GIPB nor the State government had informed him or the Betul panchayat before granting approval for the project. “We have been kept totally in the dark by the GIPB before granting the in-principle nod for the project,” he said.
The MLA added that he and the Betul panchayat would clarify their stand only after meeting Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. “When I read the story in The Goan, I tried contacting the Chief Minister, but he was away in a Gulf country attending an official function,” he said.
Altone further stated that he plans to lead a delegation comprising members of the Betul panchayat and local citizens to meet the Chief Minister. “We will seek a detailed explanation about the project — its positives and how it will benefit the local community. Only then will we take a stand,” he said.
When informed that approximately 8 lakh sq mts of land in the area had been acquired over a decade and a half ago for a proposed food park, the Quepem MLA indicated that such a project may not find favour with locals.
“I don’t think the local populace of Quitol will welcome a food park on the plateau. We have seen how the fish processing and fish meal plant at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate is causing pollution and posing a health hazard to the local population. I do not want our people to suffer the same fate by setting up food processing industries on the Quitol IDC land,” he asserted.
For now, despite the scale and scope of the proposed aero sports and aviation project, political and local reactions remain muted as stakeholders await further clarification from the State government.
