(Photos of Prime Goan Land for MOPA Airport!!)
The 
SEZ's issue and the Cidade de Goa incident reinforced my firm view that we cannot trust, neither the highly corrupt Goa Government nor the current Governor any longer and need to question everything; else they along with their counterparts in Delhi, will destroy Goa for good. We should stall all major projects in Goa and proceed; only if a detailed and comprehensive review concludes that these are really required and are in line, with the long term interests of Goa & Goans. Needless to say, most MLA’s appear confident that nothing will come in the way of their devious plans for personal gains i.e. they are confident of winning elections via (1) Migrant Vote banks to checkmate Goans (2) Religious grounds (3) Money power which is in place via high scale corruption and the destruction of Goa.
On the new MOPA Airport which our corrupt Government, is so eager to pursue, Let us demand an open civilized debate involving all MLA’s, unbiased Experts & the People with regards to having 2 airports in such a small state; if this debate warrants the same, we should fully support MOPA else this 2nd airport plans should be shelved. My arguments against MOPA are as follows:
(1) First & Foremost based on past experiences i.e. Mega Projects, Regional Plan, SEZ’s and now legalizing the Cidade De Goa illegality, we should have absolutely no faith in our Corrupt MLA’s who are always looking for opportunities, to make the most out of looting Goa & Goans. The same crooks are now going for a MOPA; should we trust them or question them completely?
(2) Till date I have not heard of any convincing arguments from the government other than some vague statements like ” MOPA WILL BE GOOD FOR GOANS”. “GENERATE EMPLOYMENT” ETC. Surely only the naive will believe such statements from our MLA’s, who have unreliable & disgustingly corrupt track record.
(3) The MOPA airport appears to be illicit profit sharing deal the Central Government, Maharashtra Government & the Corrupt Goa Government. The opening statements of the New Governor in Goa, was clearly in the interests of MOPA. I honestly think that the New Governor has been installed with Mopa as his primary objective; so hence we must understand there are huge political stakes with scant regard for Goa & Goans. With his support for the Ordinance on Cidade the Goa, he has lost credibility in Goa and Goans must demand that he leaves Goa immediately!!
(4) Employment for locals has no basis. Today the 80% jobs for Goans policy is toothless and Locals are loosing out on jobs, so how can Goans will benefit from MOPA when our incompetent Government can’t guarantee majority Goans jobs at Dabolim Airport, Industrial estates, pharmaceutical companies, private companies, Verna Electronic city etc Can the Government give out factual details on employment at MOPA and what will be the percentage of Goan employment by each category?
(5) Why will 2 International Airports in such close proximity work only in Goa; do we have any examples in other parts of India?
(6) Dabolim airport up-gradation is a deliberate ploy to keep gullible Goans quite, as we have been since liberation. Investment on Dabolim up-gradation now is a small price to pay for the huge illegitimate profits that await the politicians & their colleagues. The fact is that due to economics, only one airport will be viable!!
(7) We are well aware of our experiences with SEZ’s, regional plan etc where the Government was all set to setup them and Goans forced to stop; as it was clearly promoted to the detriment of Goa & Goans, so why cant we now to get out the facts on MOPA, before the plans go ahead. If the Government is so sure of its plans (which I doubt) what’s the fear in getting the facts out and properly convincing Goans on MOPA. Why did the Task Force’s set up by the Government finally agree, that the People were right to stop SEZ’s & the Regional Plans; why did the Government not conclude this in the first place? So I hope we understand the urgent need to question everything about MOPA.
(8) Today Goans find it extremely difficult to get land in Goa; surely we can use this land for Goans and not un-necessarily waste it on beefing up the profits of the politicians from Delhi, Maharashtra & Goa.
(9) On what basis are the projections made to justify the new airport, will the increased numbers actually benefit Goans or will it bring in more destruction to Goan landscapes, environment, migrants, slums etc How much Tourism do the Goan population actually need? Today Goans are going fast becoming irrelevant; will MOPA hammer the final nail into the Goan Identity coffin and put Goans into a minority?
(10) Have we questioned what is the current state of Debt Goa is in currently?
(11) Who will claim responsibility for the ill-effects of MOPA tomorrow, surely the current Pro-MOPA Governor & the politicians would have collected their incentives & secured their futures; Goans will pick up the pieces later!! Future Governments will wash off their hands saying that MOPA airport was not their doing!!
(12) There appears to be a one track approach by our bird brain politicians to develop Goa by building more Mega-Projects, more un-necessary Airports, and unnecessary government buildings, un-favourable industries i.e. just copy/paste development from elsewhere and follow a herd mentality on the developing Goa with scant respect to Goa’s unique conditions. Of course needless to say, there are huge incentives in following this path to sustain their political parties and collect as much cash as possible to influence getting the party ticket or win the next election.
(13) Goa attracts a lot of Tourists. By building a second airport at MOPA what are we doing exactly; other than building an airport to develop tourist areas in Maharashtra and divert a significant percentage of tourists away from Goa; at huge cost to the Goan taxpayer. Goans should understand that this is our money and hence we have every right to question how our money is used!! We should be spending our money to improve our economic state but are actually allowing our money to be spent for improving the economy of other states?
(14) Is it a matter of Coincidence that the Union Minister of Civil aviation is from Maharashtra, does any Goan doubt, where his primary interests will be?
We need to honestly & completely review everything since liberation!! I hope we can clearly see that we have been brainwashed, fooled and taken for a long ride to our detriment; we cannot change the past but surely we can decide our future; even if we wake up today!!
Arwin Mesquita (UAE)
SEZ's issue and the Cidade de Goa incident reinforced my firm view that we cannot trust, neither the highly corrupt Goa Government nor the current Governor any longer and need to question everything; else they along with their counterparts in Delhi, will destroy Goa for good. We should stall all major projects in Goa and proceed; only if a detailed and comprehensive review concludes that these are really required and are in line, with the long term interests of Goa & Goans. Needless to say, most MLA’s appear confident that nothing will come in the way of their devious plans for personal gains i.e. they are confident of winning elections via (1) Migrant Vote banks to checkmate Goans (2) Religious grounds (3) Money power which is in place via high scale corruption and the destruction of Goa.On the new MOPA Airport which our corrupt Government, is so eager to pursue, Let us demand an open civilized debate involving all MLA’s, unbiased Experts & the People with regards to having 2 airports in such a small state; if this debate warrants the same, we should fully support MOPA else this 2nd airport plans should be shelved. My arguments against MOPA are as follows:
(1) First & Foremost based on past experiences i.e. Mega Projects, Regional Plan, SEZ’s and now legalizing the Cidade De Goa illegality, we should have absolutely no faith in our Corrupt MLA’s who are always looking for opportunities, to make the most out of looting Goa & Goans. The same crooks are now going for a MOPA; should we trust them or question them completely?
(2) Till date I have not heard of any convincing arguments from the government other than some vague statements like ” MOPA WILL BE GOOD FOR GOANS”. “GENERATE EMPLOYMENT” ETC. Surely only the naive will believe such statements from our MLA’s, who have unreliable & disgustingly corrupt track record.
(3) The MOPA airport appears to be illicit profit sharing deal the Central Government, Maharashtra Government & the Corrupt Goa Government. The opening statements of the New Governor in Goa, was clearly in the interests of MOPA. I honestly think that the New Governor has been installed with Mopa as his primary objective; so hence we must understand there are huge political stakes with scant regard for Goa & Goans. With his support for the Ordinance on Cidade the Goa, he has lost credibility in Goa and Goans must demand that he leaves Goa immediately!!
(4) Employment for locals has no basis. Today the 80% jobs for Goans policy is toothless and Locals are loosing out on jobs, so how can Goans will benefit from MOPA when our incompetent Government can’t guarantee majority Goans jobs at Dabolim Airport, Industrial estates, pharmaceutical companies, private companies, Verna Electronic city etc Can the Government give out factual details on employment at MOPA and what will be the percentage of Goan employment by each category?
(5) Why will 2 International Airports in such close proximity work only in Goa; do we have any examples in other parts of India?
(6) Dabolim airport up-gradation is a deliberate ploy to keep gullible Goans quite, as we have been since liberation. Investment on Dabolim up-gradation now is a small price to pay for the huge illegitimate profits that await the politicians & their colleagues. The fact is that due to economics, only one airport will be viable!!
(7) We are well aware of our experiences with SEZ’s, regional plan etc where the Government was all set to setup them and Goans forced to stop; as it was clearly promoted to the detriment of Goa & Goans, so why cant we now to get out the facts on MOPA, before the plans go ahead. If the Government is so sure of its plans (which I doubt) what’s the fear in getting the facts out and properly convincing Goans on MOPA. Why did the Task Force’s set up by the Government finally agree, that the People were right to stop SEZ’s & the Regional Plans; why did the Government not conclude this in the first place? So I hope we understand the urgent need to question everything about MOPA.
(8) Today Goans find it extremely difficult to get land in Goa; surely we can use this land for Goans and not un-necessarily waste it on beefing up the profits of the politicians from Delhi, Maharashtra & Goa.
(9) On what basis are the projections made to justify the new airport, will the increased numbers actually benefit Goans or will it bring in more destruction to Goan landscapes, environment, migrants, slums etc How much Tourism do the Goan population actually need? Today Goans are going fast becoming irrelevant; will MOPA hammer the final nail into the Goan Identity coffin and put Goans into a minority?
(10) Have we questioned what is the current state of Debt Goa is in currently?
(11) Who will claim responsibility for the ill-effects of MOPA tomorrow, surely the current Pro-MOPA Governor & the politicians would have collected their incentives & secured their futures; Goans will pick up the pieces later!! Future Governments will wash off their hands saying that MOPA airport was not their doing!!
(12) There appears to be a one track approach by our bird brain politicians to develop Goa by building more Mega-Projects, more un-necessary Airports, and unnecessary government buildings, un-favourable industries i.e. just copy/paste development from elsewhere and follow a herd mentality on the developing Goa with scant respect to Goa’s unique conditions. Of course needless to say, there are huge incentives in following this path to sustain their political parties and collect as much cash as possible to influence getting the party ticket or win the next election.
(13) Goa attracts a lot of Tourists. By building a second airport at MOPA what are we doing exactly; other than building an airport to develop tourist areas in Maharashtra and divert a significant percentage of tourists away from Goa; at huge cost to the Goan taxpayer. Goans should understand that this is our money and hence we have every right to question how our money is used!! We should be spending our money to improve our economic state but are actually allowing our money to be spent for improving the economy of other states?
(14) Is it a matter of Coincidence that the Union Minister of Civil aviation is from Maharashtra, does any Goan doubt, where his primary interests will be?
We need to honestly & completely review everything since liberation!! I hope we can clearly see that we have been brainwashed, fooled and taken for a long ride to our detriment; we cannot change the past but surely we can decide our future; even if we wake up today!!
Arwin Mesquita (UAE)
1 comment:
Mopa International Airport, Goa, India. Is the airport going ahead? will Goa operate two airports one north and one in the south ?
www.mopainternationalairport.com
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