<And since airports have a big symbolic value over and above their obvious substantive importance, an assessment of India's commitment to a liberal economic policy will inevitably change if the government loses this round. India-China comparisons almost always start with the contrast between airports at Beijing/Shanghai and Delhi/Mumbai. The anecdotes will get nastier - understandably so - if Delhi and Mumbai don't start catching up. That could be the beginning of the end of global investors' current honeymoon with India. Right now, everyone is politely ignoring the government's failure to reform anything substantive. If airport modernisation happens, it will be the UPA's first, big (although not big as it should have been; AAI still has too large a role) rollback of the state from economic activity. If it doesn't, everything else that should be done but is not being done will be brought to bear on the India story. The result won't be pretty. >
All of the above applies in spades to GOA! Whether Goa flies or not, believe it or not, depends on what unfolds at Dabolim and Mopa together! Cheers.
