October 16, 2015 GFDO PRESS NOTE GFDO strongly condemned the arrogant attitude exhibited by the Parsekar government as seen by its shoddy shallow and misleading replies to the questions raised by the Federation of Rainbow Warriors (FRW) with the Expert Appraisal Committee of the MoEF that is looking into granting EC for the Mopa Airport project. In the same manner as the government’s so called “Public Hearing” of the EIA in February, once again the Parsekar government is seeking to brazenly give validity to a flimsy, shockingly slipshod, contradictory and outdated document done way back in 2011, in an obvious attempt at empty tokenism which is not acceptable to the people of Goa.
The Western Ghats, which abuts the Mopa plateau and forms most of the eastern part of Goa, have been internationally recognized as one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. In the February 1999 issue of National Geographic Magazine, Goa was compared with the Amazon and Congo basins for its rich tropical biodiversity. The conservation of the Mopa plateau is necessary to maintain the quality, diversity and minimum spatial extent of the Western Ghats of Goa essential for its survival and for the environment security of Goa. GFDO pointed out that the government maintains from the public exchequer a number of environmental expert bodies of the Goa administration like the Goa State Biodiversity Board and the Goa State Pollution Control Board, who have failed to conduct the mandatory study of the biodiversity and the eco sensitive nature of the Mopa plateau. In response to an RTI filed by GFDO, the Goa State Biodiversity Board has clearly stated that it does not have any record of a study being conducted with respect to the Mopa plateau region. And yet, the government is attempting to bulldoze a gigantic project like Mopa Airport, without even any idea of its ramifications on this biodiversity hotspot. R C Khurana, Ex AAI Director and Chairman of the Site Selection Committee for Mopa, has gone on record to say that “Mopa is unsafe and inadequate as a location in Goa’s future interest from an aviation point of view”. What is it then that is driving the Goa Government to jeopardize and endanger not only Goa’s environmental security, but also the safety of air travelers by foisting an airport project against the stated opinions of environmental as well as aviation experts? It is unfortunate that the BJP government appears to consider the electoral mandate given to it by the people of Goa as carte blanche to bulldoze all projects whether it is Mopa, Marinas, Tiracol or Carmona, without considering the environmental and social impact on the state and its people. But most worrying of all, is the government’s totally arbitrary and lackadaisical manner of functioning, and its conviction of unaccountability to the people who have voted it into power. The misleading responses of the government to the Expert Appraisal Committee, that go against prevailing facts and the wisdom of the experts, clearly indicate that it has no relevant answers with respect to the Mopa Airport project. GFDO demands that the Government of Goa show some respect to the climate, ecology and the people of Goa by treating the imposition of such a massive project on such a large tract of land in an eco sensitive zone with the concern and care it merits. For GOANS FOR DABOLIM ONLY Fr. Eremito Rebelo Convenor
