All opposition be damned. Manohar Parrikar’s government andthe Union Civil aviation ministry have reached an unambiguous agreement tocheck into the Mopa fast track and step on the gas for the completion of theInternational airport.
Following the acquisition of a further 22 lakh square metresin three villages adjoining Mopa, the government took the Union Civil AviationSecretary K N Srivastava and JointSecretary Alok Sinha for a ride to Mopa, where they were sanitized from localsby the police, shown barren land, told that a few dhangars graze in the areaand brought back, while the land officer left to take possession of the landunder Section 7 of the LA act.
The team from Delhi quietly slipped into Goa for thisclosely guarded meeting where it was decided to expedite the tendering processto select the private operator. It was also agreed that the Civil AviationMinistry would appoint a nodal officer to coordinate with the Goa government onall center-state issues around the project.
This was done amidst growing unrest in the Mopa villagesthat land acquisition was hurried through by getting forced consent of peopleunder section 5A, without full disclosure, paving way for final landacquisition and possession. The government is in no mood for handling protests.Srivastava apparently remarked ‘Kya bekar ka controversy laga hua hain.”Informed sources said, “There was an air of exuberance among the officialsabout starting the project.”
Dabolim’s future is clearly uncertain as informed sourcesclearly said that the Mopa’s private operator would restrict the scale ofoperations in Dabolim, a clear admission that the public stand, that Dabolimwould function, is half the truth.
