Today's paper had a report in which the Civil Aviation Minister is supposedly declaring 2005 as "The year of the airport". What can Goa's airport(s) look forward to in this dispensation? Who does development of Dabolim airport in which humungous amounts are supposed to have been sunk? The Navy or the Airports Authority? So what are the prospects of further development of Dabolim in 2005?
As for Mopa, a recent report said that a techno-feasibility study by the ICAO, Montreal, is due to commence on Jan 10 and will take 5 months. It takes at least 3 years to build a greenfield airport so the whole thing is likely to take at least 5 to 8 years from beginning to end. Bangalore airport, an extreme case, is going to take nearly 15 years. Hyderabad is making better progress. Unless the Goa government is awakened into action the state is going to be poorly served by its airport(s) compared to its acute needs. At best it will be a case of too little too late and at too high a cost for the citizens. As the keystone of Goa's transportation system, the airport(s) practically predetermine the utility of other modes such as rail and road down the line.
