Scrap Mopa, declare Dabolim only air port; demands Rally
ARVIND TENGSE, MADGAO | 15 May 2013 20:28 IST
Anti-Mopa rally held in Margao
The anti-Mopa rally organized by Goans Only for Dabolim (GOD) in Margao today demanded immediate scrapping of Mopa air port, stopping acquisition of land at Mopa and returning the land to its rightful owners.
The rally also demanded that Goa government declares Dabolim as the only civilian air port of Goa.
Fr Eremito Rebello, convenor of GOD, demanded that the BJP government should immediately rethink about Mopa air port and scrap it.
Most of the speakers, one after another, explained how existing Dabolim air port can comfortably meet the aviation needs till 2030.
The vacant land available within the air port complex will suffice for all expansions in the foreseeable future, they said.
The rally also demanded to relocate the golf course, football grounds and few residences within the Dabolim air port complex in order to provide more vacant land for a cargo terminal and other engines of economic growth.
The speakers said in one voice that any attempt to relocate the air port would prove disastrous for Goa’s economy and identity.
The rally felt that the huge development like Mopa air port would change the Goan economy and would also affect Goan environment.
It was alleged that the Mopa air port is being executed with zero transparency, without taking Goans into confidence.
The other main speakers at the rally were Rajendra Kakodkar, Cruz Cardozo, Serafin Cota and Swati Kerkar.
The whole Lohia Maidan was jam packed and people were also standing on the road, which is an indication that the agitation has picked up in Salcete taluka.
