February 2, 2015 PRESS STATEMENT
Goans for Dabolim Only expressed delight at the large number of people who attended the public meeting held on 31st January at Lohia Maidan in Margao, to demonstrate their dissatisfaction and dismay at the slipshod and negligent manner in which the EIA Report for the proposed Mopa Airport project has been prepared. While members of Goans for Dabolim Only ensured their presence to register their formal objections to the so called EIA Report at the Public Hearing held at Mopa on Sunday, the manner in which it was conducted, gave cause for grave disappointment and distress. As the highest authority of the District, it was shocking indeed that Collector Smt. Neela Mohanan, seemed to have lost sight of the fact that the aim of the Public Hearing was to invite and collect information that would throw light on the acceptability of the EIA in regard to its truly reflecting the actual ground realities on the Mopa Plateau before going ahead with the construction of the proposed Airport, as well as the 15 lakh square metres of land being “gifted” to the developer for commercialization at FAR of 400. Therefore, it was surprising that Collector Neela Mohanan, permitted the Public Hearing to be unnecessarily dragged on by entertaining irrelevant comments particularly from those supporting the proposed Airport project, on issues like Konkan Railway, mega projects, etc. despite going through the obviously token gesture of announcing at the beginning that speakers should restrict their comments strictly to the EIA. Yet, inexplicably, she refused to add the objection of Siddarth Karapurkar, which had been omitted, regarding the value of the agricultural produce on the Mopa plateau, which was not reflected in the EIA. In fact, as Siddarth was speaking from the stand, he was physically attacked and hit on the head by a pro Mopa supporter. Strangely, by that time the police had left the enclosure. So much for fairness and objectivity. While the police contingent thankfully moved to prevent physical clashes between opposing groups, it was deplorable that they remained mute and silent spectators to the constant, loud and disturbing heckling, dancing in the aisles and participants were even treated to the spectacle of a fully grown man holding a toy airplane in the air and gleefully running through all the aisles heavily manned by the police, thus exposing the lack of seriousness and the vestedness in which this supposedly official Hearing was conducted. In fact, it was shameful that the Collector did not see fit to instruct the Police to evict those continuously disturbing the proceedings. It was a disgrace to the Goa Administration that the Collector appointed by them, namely Smt. Neela Mohanan, could not summon up the professional caliber and objectivity required from someone holding this important position, and entrusted with this crucial task, to conduct the Hearing with the required dignity and objectivity it demanded. In fact Collector Neela Mohanan’s unprofessionalism and lamentable lack of ability to control the proceedings turned the Public Hearing into a ‘natak’ and stage managed show of strength rather than a public hearing sincerely seeking to obtain serious views on the EIA. Fr. Eremito Rebelo Convenor
