Chalo Pernem: Mopa panel BY HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, JAN 27 - The recently formed 'Mopa Vimantal Nirdhar Committee' on Friday gave a clarion call - 'Chalo Pernem' (Let's Go Pernem) - for January 29 to garner "mass support" for the Mopa airport project. Addressing a press conference in the city, Dhargal MLA, Babu Azgaonkar (BJP), who is the convener of the panel, retorted that if Churchill Alemao could gather 500 to oppose the project, the people of Pernem would gather in thousands in support of it. The people have not seen a development project for the last 38 years in Pernem and it's high time the Government takes into consideration their sentiments, he snapped. Land acquisition for the second phase lapsed four days ago as the Government failed to issue the final notification under Section 6 of Land Acquisition Act. However, around 50 lakh sq mts land has already been acquired pending the issue of paying compensation for the same. "The committee has no political affiliations; Mopa is a people's issue and will remain one," Azgaonkar said, adding, "The major problem in Pernem is that of unemployment and no party has helped in eradicating it." The project is "devachem dennem" (God's gift) to the taluka and no one has the right to take it away. We have the support of 95 per cent of the MLAs, he added.
Mandrem MLA, Laxmikant Parsekar, taking a dig at the Chief Minister, said, "Rane failed to pass a notification for publication of a section for the second phase of land acquisition. He is hatching over a file for the last fifteen days", he alleged adding it's the State Government, which is trying to stall the project and blaming the Centre, he maintained. Other members of the committee present were A K Teli (retired SP), Vishnu Desai, Ramesh Naik (Shiv Sena), Dashrat Mahale, Parshuram Kotkar (ex MLA), Mathew Fernandes, Babi Bagkar and Uday Desai. They said the 'Chalo Pernem' movement is expected to gather a crowd of around 10,000, which will assemble at 4 pm in Pernem town area.