The Hindu Business Line : Mopa airport project runs into rough weather

A MAJOR controversy has developed over Goa's proposed international airport coming up at Mopa in North Goa with opposition building up from within the ruling Congress-led coalition.

The issue assumes significance as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a Canada-based United Nations civil aviation body, consultants for the project, will submit its final techno-economic report by the month-end.

Moreover, the Chief Minister, Mr Pratapsing Rane, had announced on Monday the Government's decision to go ahead with inviting expression of interests from international parties for proposed linkage of a monorail project — connecting North and South Goa. The project is expected to supplement the airport.

The airport project had in the initial stages witnessed veiled opposition from the big coastal resorts of South Goa. They feared that the new airport at distant Mopa village in Pernem taluk on the North Goa border of the State touching Maharashtra's Konkan region could affect them and instead open up coastal tourism in Konkan.

However, the erstwhile BJP-led coalition in the State had pursued it vigorously. Even now while BJP continues to back the project claiming it would help tourism as well as industry in the State, it is the ruling coalition, which is divided on the project. The supporters of the project within the ruling coalition see it as an opportunity to develop the hitherto backward areas on the State's northern border.

The opposition from within is led by the South Goa Congress MP and former Chief Minister, Mr Churchill Alemao, who is all set to go ahead with a "show of strength" in South Goa.

The tourism industry, which relies heavily on international tourist arrivals, including charters feared the closure of the Dabolim international airport for civilian use once the new airport comes up. The Dabolim airport, which is under the Navy's jurisdiction, is equidistant from both the tourism belts of North and South Goa, while the proposed Mopa airport would mean a road travel distance of more than double for the tourist resorts in the South.

The project looked to be set to go ahead as Mr Rane had recently declared that the tendering of the works of the proposed airport would be taken up by December next paving the way for the project.

However, the United Goan Democratic Party (UGDP)'s lone MLA Mr Mathany Saldanha who had been tourism minister in the BJP-led Government came out openly reiterating his old demand of asking the Navy to vacate the Dabolim airport in Mormugao by shifting from the port city of Mormugao to Karwar Naval Base of Sea Bird (in Karnataka). This meant there was no need for a new airport with big investment.

Mr Alemao has also joined the anti-Mopa airport bandwagon and chosen to go all out publicly. Mr Alemao favours total civilian use of the Dabolim airport in South Goa and has called for shifting of the Naval base to Sea Bird. The Navy now allows partial civilian use of the airport, domestically as well as internationally, including landing of charters.

The minor coalition partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also joined the "oppose-Mopa" campaign. The Agriculture Minister, Mr Micky Pacheco (NCP), told Business Line that he had openly told the Chief Minister before Monday's Cabinet meeting that he too was opposed to the new airport. His argument was the State should get Centre's funds to upgrade and expand the Dabolim airport instead of sinking huge investment into a new airport, which would not serve South Goa's tourism on account of distance factor.

Mr Pacheco claimed the support of Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Wilfred de Souza (NCP); the Education Minister, Mr Luizinho Faleiro; the Minister for Employment, Mr Joaquim Alemao (Congress), for his stand. While Mr Alemao has spoken of a people's agitation, Mr Pacheco stated that he was confident that a consensus will be built up within the Government against the project.

The proposed joint sector project estimated to cost Rs 800-1,000 crore was cleared during the NDA rule at the Centre when Congress ruled Goa. The erstwhile BJP-led coalition Government had speeded up the project by appointing international consultants. Mr Rane has been following up the project since he took over and along with it the proposal for a monorail project to connect the North and South Goa ostensibly to breach the distance between the airport and the tourism belts of the State.

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