----- Original Message ----- From: "Bernado Colaco" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <goanet@goanet.org>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 1:53 PM Subject: [Goanet] Are Goan newspapers afraid or collaborating?
> An important news item was published on the O Heraldo > website regarding the Dabolim history whereby 150 > Goans (working at the airport and TAIP) were made > redundant to muffle the story about the radar robbery > by the occupiers. > > This item was published on the O Heraldo website for a > few hours and than promptly removed, so was the other > article which refers to the 70% occupation of Vasco > city. Is the newspaper afraid or they being threatened > or are they collaborating? > > Why should the Goans not know the truth about Goa and > the events of 61? > > B. Colaço Dabolim and TAIP Very few Goans know that Goa had its own airline and that the airport at Dabolim was a civilian one. The latter reason is why politicians who are really interested in Goa and Goa's future rather than their own pockets, have been making efforts to get the airport released to civilian control. Now for the history. Pre-Dec 1961 There were pioneering flights by Capt. Moreira Cardoso and Capt. Sarmento Pimentel in 1930, using a rudimentary dirt airstrip atop the hill of Dabolim. Then in 1934, Carlos Beck, an air pilot, flew a flimsy monoplane from Lisbon to Goa, taking four days for the journey stopping over at Beirut and Karachi, landing at Dabolim, where the "airport" consisted of just a small shed with a windsock. Until India gained independence on 15 Aug 1947, the Anglo-Portuguese relations were on a good footing. In the later half of 1947, there were fears on part of some Portuguese government officials that the Estado da Índia Portuguesa (EIP), as the enclaves of Goa, Damão, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli were known at the time, would sooner or later be forced to join the greater Indian Union. In July 1951, the Direcção Geral de Fomento do Ministério do Ultramar (Directorate of Development of the Ministry for Overseas) proposed to the Direcção Geral da Aeronáutica Civil (Directorate of Civil Aviation) to send a Technical Mission for Aerodromes to: a) study and detail a construction project to build an international airport in Goa; b) study improvements to be made immediately to allow the use of the existing airstrips at Mormugão, Damão and Diu to land light twin-engined aeroplanes; and c) study the viability of establishing air connections with the three segments of Estado da India Portuguesa. The government considered the creation of air transport services as a civilian company integrated within the government services of the Estado da Índia Portuguesa to organise and develop proper airports. Now whilst the plans for air transport for the EIP were being developed, the Indian Government instituted a blockade against the Estado da Índia Portuguesa, isolating these enclaves from the rest of the world. The flow of people and goods by land or sea into the Indian Union was prohibited, the railway line was broken, communication lines were cut, bank accounts of citizens of the EIP in banks in the Indian Union were frozen, monetary transfers between the Indian Union and the EIP were suspended - all this in an effort to induce the native populations in the Estado da Índia Portuguesa to rebel against the Portuguese. Unfortunately for the Indian Govt, the general public of the EIP did not rise into revolt, and the Portuguese Govt. did everything it could to maintain the welfare of the population. Therefore, besides developing new maritime routes and the port at Mormugão to replace the previous reliance on Bombay, the Portuguese Govt. in the EIP fast-tracked plans for air transport to beat the blockade. Thus, the "Serviço de Aeronáutica Civil" was created in the EIP by Decreto-Lei No. 40257, with the responsibility of setting up the Transportes Aéreos da Índia Portuguesa. This was how TAIP was born. The first planes of the TAIP fleet were a couple of quad-engined DeHavilland HERON aircraft. Flight-Pilot Major Austen Goodman Solano de Almeida was requested to organise equipment and the work-force for TAIP. The infrastructure was quickly set up initially with the technical assistance of the Portuguese Air Force, building adequate aerodromes, runways, and hangars at Dabolim, Damão, and Diu, utilising funds of 1st and 2nd development budgets. (The airports in the smaller enclaves of Damão and Diu had to be strategically oriented so as to respect Indian airspace and avoid any confrontations with the Indian authorities on take-off and landing. In 1957, the Indian Govt. placed anti-aircraft guns just outside the air corridors and threatened to shoot down any planes violating the Indian airspace. The manoeuvres had to be precise and the pilots had to adhere to very strict routes with very narrow margins of tolerance. The pilots of the TAIP fleet deserve due credit to their skill as not a single aircraft was observed as having violated Indian airspace during the period). The first TAIP plane, CR-IAA, left Lisbon on 2nd August 1955 captained by Maj. Solano de Almeida arriving Goa on the 10th August. Before landing at Dabolim, Maj. Solano de Almeida circled over Pangim to a joyous applause from the locals welcoming the first aeroplane of their own airline. TAIP at Dabolim was then structured into two divisions: one for Operations and Instruction, the other for Maintenance, Workshop and Apron. Although the infrastructure was quite inadequate initially, it did not impede its practicality, and dramatic improvements were made through the efforts of the director of TAIP and the governors of Damão and Diu, so that by mid-1957, Damão and Diu possessed capable terminals. The TAIP fleet was soon expanded to include two twin-engined Vickers VIKING planes, the first of which, CR-IAC, arrived Goa in March 1956. As the VIKING proved to be capable of passenger services, it now became necessary to engage and train airhostesses and other staff. A short course was organised in Goa and four local personnel were engaged. Brígida Pinto of Aldoná (now in Lisbon) started her career with TAIP as an air-hostess. Plínio Gomes of Cansaulim was a radio-operator. Doubtless there were more native Goans employed by TAIP, as apart to those who left Goa for Lisbon after the Indian military action, twenty-two of those who remained behind mounted a fruitless action in Indian courts to be absorbed into the existing Indian air services. By the time Gen. Vassalo e Silva came to Goa as Governor-General, TAIP already had at its disposal seven aircraft: 2 Vickers Vikings (CR-IAC & CR-IAD), 2 Douglas DC-4 "Skymaster" (CR-IAE & CR-IAF) and 3 Douglas DC6B (CR-IAG, CR-IAH & CR-IAI), which had regular services to: Goa-Damão-Diu-Karachi; Goa-Karachi-Beirut-Damascus-Lisbon; and Goa-Beira-Lourenço Marques, and thus Dabolim was an international airport in its own right. The airports by now had cement-concrete runways 2kms long by 46 metres wide, with omni-directional radio beacons. The airport at Dabolim was furnished with Calvert lighting permitting night-time landings. Gen. Vassalo e Silva accelerated the development of TAIP and the airport at Dabolim, which was now named "Aeroporto General Bénard-Guedes". New routes were established to provide connection from Goa to the Persian Gulf including Aden, as a good number of Goans had established themselves in these places. In a certain aspect, TAIP was pioneering stopovers in places previously unexplored by other airlines, some areas that were then inhospitable. TAIP pilots also excelled themselves as they faced adverse contingencies, not once relying on landing anywhere within the Indian Union, which could result in the instant arrest and imprisonment for the crew. TAIP also handled some charter flights transporting goods between Jeddah and Lahore. In 1960, TAP & TAIP forged a mutual relationship, holding a monopoly on air transportation between Portugal and the overseas provinces, under the leadership of Alfredo Vaz Pinto. TAP introduced a flight from Lisbon to Goa pooling its aircraft with those of TAIP. Dec 1961 In late 1961, India was pushing for a military take-over of Goa. The Indian Air Force suspected that the Portuguese had some supersonic interceptors, but later believed that though fighters were not based, they maintained a regular supply chain by air. However, facing this modest and insignificant air threat was amassed a huge Indian Air Force detachment. The Indian Air Force maintained regular sorties on Goan air-space from 2 December 1961 to lure and draw out any Portuguese air opposition that may have been there but did not encounter any opposition. The Indian Navy had just received delivery of the aircraft carrier, VIKRANT. On patrol 75 miles seaward of Goa, her task was to counter any action by the Portuguese Air Force F-86 Sabres (which, according to intelligence reports, were operating from Dabolim) and to forestall any interference by Western NATO allies of Portugal. VIKRANT steamed up and down at high speed for two days on 18 and 19 December, with Seahawk combat air patrols airborne from dawn to dusk. No Portuguese Sabre aircraft or any other intrusive air or naval activity was observed. After the operation, it transpired that the Portuguese did not have a single military aircraft at Goa. It was faulty Indian intelligence, or political propaganda that was considered as "intelligence". On December 18th, a massive wave of 12 Canberras dropped 63,000 lbs. of bombs within minutes, on the runway at Dabolim. The only aircraft parked on the apron at the time were one Super Constellation (of TAP) and one DC-6 aircraft (of TAIP - see later). More bombs were dropped on the runway to render it unserviceable. This was the first time that the IAF had an opportunity to employ jet air power on a massive scale. However, the Portuguese did not have any AA defences or aircraft to defend their positions at Dabolim. Incidentally, Maj. Solano de Almeida, the first pilot to fly under TAIP also piloted the last flight of TAIP out of Goa to Karachi. In spite of the runway being severely damaged, he took off from Dabolim in the DC-6 ferrying the last remaining wives and children of Portuguese military personnel, flying at a very low altitude to avoid possible skirmishes with the belligerent IAF. Mario Cabral e Sá, the Goan journalist who often writes on Goa's papers, was one of the passengers on this last flight. Post-Dec 1961 After the Indian military actions of December 1961 against the EIP and subsequent annexation of the EIP by the Indian Union in March 1962, the then Indian military caretaker Govt. of Gen. Candeth handed over the Dabolim airport to the Navy in April 1962, ostensibly in a caretaker mode Since then, the Indian Navy has considered Dabolim as its property through pronouncements by various Naval commanders in charge of the airport, though no documented evidence appears to exist that Dabolim was ever "handed over" or "leased" to the Indian Navy by any Goan government - note that the first elections for a Goa Govt. were held in 1963. These pronouncements indicate that the powers in Delhi appear to consider Goa and its people as property "acquired by conquest", with the implied authorisation to do as they please with it. The "Warbirds of India" states "With the Military action in 1961 against the Portuguese in Goa and subsequent incorporation of Goa, Daman and Diu into the Republic of India, the Indian Navy benefitted the most with the sudden availability of additional Port facilities. More importantly, Dabolim Air Field was made into a center of Naval Aviation later on. Today, Dabolim forms the cradle of Naval Aviation, providing training facilities as well as shore-based facilities for the Naval Strike aircraft when they are not deployed among the carriers." The Navy showed its true colours on 25 Sept. 1996. A statement by none other than the Rear Admiral Suresh Mehta, flag officer commanding, Goa Area, remarked: "Not only would the Navy not vacate Dabolim airport, but its ownership of the airfield too was beyond question". He wanted to lay to rest the debate provoked by ''vested elements" (i.e. citizens of Goa) on the ownership of the airport, taken over by them after the liberation of Goa in 1961. "The ownership of the airfield is not negotiable," he told a group of representatives of the tourism industry whom he recently addressed at a face to face meet organised by the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In his opening address at the face to face meet between the Navy and tourism representatives, the president of the Goa Chamber Dattaraj Salgaocar remarked pointedly that ''there is a feeling in some quarters that it would be up to the Navy to seek and find a new address", that "Dabolim came to them in the aftermath of Operation Vijay in 1961 that liberated Goa", and that "the time has come for the Navy to restore the airport to the civilian authorities". But Admiral Mehta who was well prepared to handle any provocation and criticism that the naval presence had been hampering tourist charter operations to this State, took the wind out of the sails of the tourism lobby, sources said. "All procedures were followed and compensation was paid for the land acquired for the naval air station", Admiral Mehta said. Quoting a lease agreement signed between the ministry of defence and the civil aviation department, he pointed out that the use of the airfield for civil aviation purposes was subject to the condition that it would in no way interfere with the functioning of the Navy. It is indeed strange that the Goa Govt. was never privy to the "lease agreement" nor to the "compensation paid for the land acquired for the naval air station", which leads one to think that this is all bluff on part of the Indian Navy; especially so when the Rajya Sabha member, Eduardo Faleiro raised such questions as "what is the status of the ownership of Goa's Dabolim Airport?" If there really is a lease agreement, he ought to have known the answer to this question. And if indeed there is a lease agreement, what is the duration of the lease? How much is/was the rent paid and to whom is/was it paid? Who were the signatories to the agreement? What are the conditions stipulated on the lease agreement? Has the Goa Govt. been informed of the existence of such a document? If not, why not? These are the questions that need to be asked to the Navy and to New Delhi. Then again, if there is a lease agreement, the ownership of the airport does not lie with the Navy, but with the lessor of the airport, whoever that may be. According to news reports of Feb 2004, the then Goa Govt. concurred with the view that the Defence Forces have illegally occupied the State's lone airport. But New Delhi says that the ownership of the airport is with the Navy and no proposal or representation has been received from Pangim to hand over the airport to civilian authorities, in a reply to Rajya Sabha question posed by Eduardo Faleiro, Goa's representative, on 23rd December 2003. The intimidating attitudes from the Indian Navy have stifled development of the Dabolim airport to be a truly international airport, with limits imposed as to the times when civilian aircraft could use the airport to narrow "windows" during the day, blocking off most daylight hours 4 days out of 7. The Naval attitudes also caused a German charter company, Condor, to discontinue its whole program in 1996, when a Condor flight from Germany was repeatedly refused permission to land at Dabolim just because of some training flights were under way. The Naval Commander at Dabolim at the time, should have realised that these charter flights are planned months in advance, and that a flight that was nearly at the end of its fuel-carrying capacity could not simply be diverted to Bombay on a "whim". Furthermore, its passengers, who had accommodation already arranged in Goa, could not be expected to make alternative arrangements on the spot and then catch another flight to Goa "at a time convenient to the Navy". Conclusions: Prior to December 1961, Dabolim airport was always a civilian airport. It was constructed by the Portuguese Govt. to serve the people of Goa and to contribute towards Goa's progress. Dabolim was never utilised by the Portuguese Govt. for military purposes. No aircraft of the FAP (Força Aérea Portuguesa - Portuguese Air Force) were ever stationed at Dabolim. The Goa Govt. must take charge of the situation and insist with New Delhi that Dabolim revert back to its original status as a civilian airport, with an option for the Navy and the Coast Guard to use it when required in times of emergency. Mopa can be an additional airport, should the traffic volumes warrant it. The Navy's pronouncement that Seabird cannot accommodate a suitable airstrip for its aircraft are just excuses. Bibliography: 1. Lecture delivered by Major-General Flight Pilot (Retd.) José Krus Abecasis on 23rd March 2002 in the Society of Geography of Lisbon. 2. Alfredo de Mello. 3. http://www.terravista.pt/mussulo/1961/taip.html 4. http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1960s/Goa/ 5. http://indiannavynic.in/Tr2Trmph/chapters/17_air_arm1.htm 6. http://historiaeciencia.weblog.com.pt/arquivo/049503.html 7. Francisco Monteiro 8. http://www.goanews.com 9. http://www.warbirdsofindia.com/wbgoa.html 10. http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_431.shtml 11. http://164.100.24.167/dailyques/200/uq23122003.pdf Note: This article is displayed on www.goasu-raj.org under 'comments on news'