The Hindu : Karnataka News : ‘Acquire land for airport’

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Saturday, Sep 08, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

‘Acquire land for airport’

Special Correspondent

Alemao has softened his stand on airport issue: Parrikar
‘State fails to comply with Supreme’s Court undertaking’

PANAJI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Opposition party in the State, on Friday urged the Government to immediately acquire land for the proposed Mopa international airport in north Goa.

Talking to presspersons here on Friday, Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar welcomed the “softening of stand” against the project by Save Goa Front leader and Minister Churchill Alemao. Mr. Alemao, who had forced the Congress-led Government to put the project on the backburner ahead of June 2 Assembly elections, recently softened his stand stating that he would not launch an agitation against it because he did not have the people’s backing to oppose the project. This raised the hopes of the project being revived. What Mr. Parrikar was more concerned about was the latest development wherein a local bauxite mining lease-holder from Mopa in Pernem taluk was about to re-approach the Supreme Court for permission to revive his mining lease. He recalled that the Supreme Court had declined permission earlier as the State Government had intervened to file an affidavit indicating its desire acquire land for the proposed airport. . Mr. Parrikar said that the State Government failed to comply with its undertaking to the Supreme Court, thus leaving the danger of the lease being allowed. When contacted for the State Government’s response to Mr. Parrikar’s contention, Chief Secretary J.P. Singh told The Hindu that he would take up the matter immediately with the Chief Minister.