Rajan P. Parrikar wrote: In the same post, I had written about my one-on-one meeting with Manohar Parrikar in February, a couple of weeks before the election. We had agreed on every issue that I put before him except one: Mopa. I expressed my opposition to the proposed Mopa airport in no uncertain terms and briefly laid out my case. He was unmoved and equally upfront about it. He said he wanted Mopa to go ahead should he be voted to power. I pleaded that at the very least he should defer its consideration until he had first resolved the other sicknesses afflicting Goa. -snip- You need a certain quality of intellect for this type of thinking. Clearly, Manohar Parrikar does not appear to be in possession of it. ------------------------------------------------------------------
Rajan, The story is told in the arid areas of Tanzania of traders arriving at a river bank and seeing another group camped there for the evening. The newly arrived group saw that the other traders had planted mango seedlings at the river bank. The newly arrived group asked as to why anyone would plant mango trees in the bush when not even their children would get to enjoy the fruit. The tree planters explained that the trees would first provide shade, then a meeting spot and perhaps some day someone would build a bridge nearby, making trade easier. Mopa airport is the same story. India desperately needs the infrastructure to expand its economy. Mumbai airport cannot handle the regional needs anymore. Last month I was scrambling for a ticket to fly from Mumbai to Goa and was informed there were none. Cargo space is twice as hard on the same route. Mopa Airport is the brain child of the central govt. The previous Goa administration actually did its best to stop the development of Mopa. Stop the development!!!! Everywhere else govts are trying to speed up development. While you may not appreciate Parrikar's intellect, I think he is a very smart cookie. Mopa is the right choice for expanding the economy. One item that really has to be addressed though, is what happens to the wildlife in the area. I hope the environmentalists are not asleep on this one, else the surrounding habitat is going to disappear. Mervyn201
