BJP to launch 11-day pro-Mopa airport awareness campaign tomorrow

Panaji, May 19 (UNI) The Goa unit of the BJP is all set to launch a 11-day pro-Mopa airport awareness campaign from Ektanagar in North Goa's Mapusa town from tomorrow in the first phase of its programme.

The campaign was stalled earlier following the demise of the party general secretary Pramod Mahajan.

In the second phase, the BJP would campaign in South Goa to garner support from different sections of the society.

The party sources regretted that Pratapsinh Rane government failed to initiate the work of the state-of-the-art airport at Mopa which could meet the increasing demand of air traffic from both, domestic and foreign tourists.

The sources also pointed out lapse in the process of land acquisition for the airport which was expected not only to ease traffic congestion at the Mumbai airport.

The project seems as good as shelved with the six-member Central Committee appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and headed by Mr Rane failing to submit its report before its term expired recently.

The issue had sharply divided even the ruling Congress and the coalition partners with one group headed by South Goa MP Churchil Alemao campaigning against the project and another, including the BJP, in its favour.

Most of them including the BJP demand the existing airport at Dabolim in South Goa, under the control of the Indian Navy be strengthened and expanded to cope with the burgeoning air traffic.

The Civil Aviation Ministry had promised, in its recent meeting in Delhi, to do so as it directed the Airports Authority of India to acquire nine acres land from the Navy for expanding the aprons to accommodate more aircrafts, besides building aero-bridges under a new terminal.

The BJP, however, regretted that neither the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee nor the Rane government had come out so far with their unequivocal stand on whether they favoured Mopa airport or not.

But the BJP continued to be for Mopa airport and if necessary could make it one of the issues in the Assembly elections to Goa due next year.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister had not yet conceded the request of the six-member central committee for extending its term for six more months besides including experts to finalise its report on whether Goa should have airport at Mopa or not.

Mr Rane, however, maintained he could not express his opinion as the chairman of the committee and that his job was to collect opinions of different sections including experts and convey it to the Prime Minister.

UNI BM KU AK DS1313