--- Philip Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Besides the basic > issue here is what kind of airport is planned at > Mopa -- whether a > futuristic "Taj Mahal for A380s" taking 10-15 years > to start or a cheap and > cheerful one from which low cost airlines can > operate, pronto. I firmly > believe that it is only the latter which is needed > at Mopa for the > foreseeable future. The emphasis should be on > runways, control towers, > parking bays and perimeter fencing -- not > concourses, shopping malls, golf > courses, convention centres, amusement parks and the > like. The latter should > be a matter of evolution in the natural course not > upfront planning and > investment especially by the state.
Hi Philip, I hate to disagree with you, but I don't think that is quite the way to go. I have observed that often, when one plans small and builds small, the surounding "vacuum" is quickly filled with constructions (legal or illegal), making future expansion impossible. No - the way to go is to plan for all the shopping malls, restaurants, rest areas (toilets / showers / gyms / relaxation chairs) and car parks, large aprons (capable of handling giants not only like A380, but also larger aircraft of the future), and utilities required to handle the larger capacities. Perhaps the air-conditioning system should be in duplicate, seeing the number of times I have sweated it out at Mumbai airport. I have always erred on the side of caution in quoting how long a project will take, by multiplying what I expect by 1.5. A similar approach ought to be used when planning for the future, spacewise. Too often I note that Indian shops and malls are small crowded affairs. Tourists are not often used to having too small a personal space, and will keep clear of such crowded spaces. Therefore, any malls and shopping areas ought to be planned for sufficiently large spaces, so also the check-in and baggage reclamation areas. Passengers ought to be able to have their near and dear ones with them upto and until entering the immigration area, which means that once check-in is completed, passengers should be able to rest and have a snack/chat with their dear ones. These facilities are available at Heathrow, Gatwick, Melbourne etc as well as at regional ones like Canberra (yes it is a rather small airport) and Coolangatta (Gold Coast). In India, this is not possible, even at the airport in Mumbai. Note that planning is one thing, designing is another, and implementation is quite another thing altogether. Therefore, the motto to be followed, imho, is "plan big, build small". I thoroughly agree with you that one should start small. However, plans for the "larger picture" ought to be put on paper, to preserve the real-estate and to provide a basis for requesting/allocating funds in future years. The only issues in this exposition are the politicians, as you state in the following paras. They will want to leave their "mark" (just as a dog does whichever new place it visits), before their term in office ends, which, in Goa's case, could be pretty short. P.S. As an aside, most roads in Melbourne were planned / designed a century ago; however, there were provisions made for tram tracks and railway lines even then; the place were I now stay was a farm paddock then and the then tram track stopped just outside the paddock; over the years (including the last eight), the tram track has been expanded a number of kms further now without causing any issues with motor traffic or housing. There is scope to expand the same even further, and will be done probably when those areas get a sizable population. This is what planning is all about. Cheers, Gabriel de Figueiredo. Melbourne - Australia. Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com
