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Tri Continental Film Festival 2008
July 25 - 30, 2008
Goa, India
http://www.moviesgoa.org/page/tri_continental/
http://www.moviesgoa.org/tricon/schedule_2008.pdf
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Today's TOI had two reports on the same subject. One said "Govt to put Mopa
work on fast track". The other, on the front page, said "Land acquisition
for Mopa starts". It is reported that acquisition of about 1800 acres of
land for the airport proper is being restarted at Mopa after going on for 5
years. Simultaneously another 220 acres of land are being acquired for the
approach road. The process is being fast tracked on the basis of trhe ICAO
report which said Dabolim would be saturated by 2012-13. There is, however,
no information about when the land acquisition would be completed. But there
is a plan to appoint a new steering committee for Mopa airport within one
week.
I wonder if Goa is on the fast track to a first rate fiasco. It is one thing
to speed up the land acquisition for the airport and approach road. It is
an altogether different matter to put up the airport on a Big Bang basis in
just a few years. For one thing, the ICAO data are as of 2005 or 2006 when
air traffic growth rates in India and Goa were at their peak. They have
since subsided considerably due to the spike in crude oil prices and hence
ATF and air fares.
So the expected saturation at Dabolim may be put off for a few more years at
least. Goa needs to know how the CM plans to keep his promise to keep
Dabolim open while Mopa is being operated. What about the slogan "Mopa yes,
but not at the cost of Dabolim"? We need to know whether the planned design
and business model of Mopa is likely to put Dabolim out of business,
intentionally or unintentionally. This has to be out in the public domain
and not foisted on the unsuspecting Goa populace at the last minute. A fraud
is quite likely to be perpetrated which will ruin Goa's economy and society
for all time.
Where are all the land scam experts who should be throwing some light on the
re-starting of the acquisition process? Most importantly, who is going to
hold the CM and his steering committee accountable for transparency on the
plan for Mopa? What happened to all the saviours and redeemers of Goa?
Sleeping soundly? Ha!
