Mopa land acquisition awaits CM's nod NT Staff Reporter Panaji Jan 24: Uncertainty looms large on the future of Mopa airport project with the second phase land acquisition process for the project lapsing today, after the revenue department failed to issue notification today under Section 6 of Land Acquisition Act. The land measuring 23 lakh square metres was to be acquired for the project and file for it was sent to the Chief Minister, Mr Pratapsingh Rane, for approval for issue of notification under Section 6, before he left for Hyderabad to attend the 82nd plenary session of All India Congress Committee.
According to sources in the secretariat, the file was not returned by the office of the Chief Minister till late this evening and as such the revenue department officials could not issue the necessary notification to keep the process alive. The government had issued notification under Section 4 of land Acquisition Act on January 25, 2005, for acquiring land for the project and the second notification (under Section 6) had to be issued by today to keep the process alive but since the notification was not issued today the whole process lapsed. With the process lapsing the future of the Mopa airport project hangs in balance as a sizable portion of the land sought to be acquired was needed for runway. If the government decides to go ahead with the project the whole process for acquiring land measuring 23 lakh square meters have to be initiated again and it would take nearly a year to complete the process again, which would delay the project. The government had earlier acquired 54 lakh square metre of land in the first phase for the project but the land acquired is not enough to complete the project. Another 11 lakh square metres are sought to be acquired by yet another notification (third), which was issued on February 14, 2005. The government has so far spent nearly Rs 5 crore on the project with Rs 2.6 crore having already paid to the ICAO for conducting feasibility study and presenting report. Recently the government also initiated a project to conduct environment impact study by spending Rs 21 lakh. Besides large amounts have been paid for issue of notifications for land acquisition, visit of an official team to Canada, meetings, protocol and stay of experts from various fields, etc, said sources in the government. In another development, senior government officials expressed fears that Goa could lose the project as Maharashtra and Karnataka have shown eagerness to set up international projects in areas nearer to Goa. The officials also expressed fears that if the international airport project comes in the vicinity nearer to Goa than there was possibility of Dabolim airport losing the international airport status as facilities there could not be raised to meet set global standards. Meanwhile, Mr Ramakant Khalap has lamented the lapse of land acquisition process saying that the government has failed to go ahead with the development of the state and that progress of Goa has taken a beating. He also said that lapsing of was victory of people of retrograde mindset within the Congress party and also of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which will have another point of agenda to prove the failure of the Congress government to develop the state.