ON MOPA - FACTS AND FIGURES

The following article is forwarded to me by my ex Kuwait Goan friend Sebastian Rodrigues.  Since I find it very interesting, I publish it in goa-kranti.blogspot.com for the benefit of Kranti readers. AVF,

 

QUOTE:

Every person agrees that Goa needs state of art international airport. Some say navy should give land. Some further add navy should vacate goa. Let us see facts and figures.

Recently Goan weekly had published figures of land holding of Government of India in goa.

i. Land with airport authority at Dabolim – 36815 sqm

ii. Land with navy at Dabolim - 3,17,556 sqm

iii. Net total - 4,08,371 sqm

One runway for modern jets requires 3475m length and 45m width. 200m wide land strip is needed as freeway including runway shoulders on either side of runway (European aviation safety agency manual) Minimum Hz. Clearance between two run ways is 760 M Even Dubai airport has runway length 5.4km. Hence required area for one freeway will be 6,95,000 sqm. Besides this, area required for taxi way, terminal building, parking bays, maintenance area, cargo area and terminal area, vehicle parking and area required for other infrastructural facilities.

Now look at Mopa, total land area being acquired is 91, 71,000 sqm, out of this 58,66,000 sqm has already been acquired. Now million dollar question is whether Dabolim can accommodate domestic as well as international Airport with 2 runways? Total Land available at Dabolim is 4,08,371 sqm. Including land in possession with Navy at Dabolim., where as mopa can provide 58,66,000 sqm which is already available with the government.

Secondly mopa phase I will need Funding to tune of Rs.1230 crores(205 million $). Can we divert public fund for the airport instead of utilizing for pressing needs of health, education, roads, electricity and water. On the contrary, mopa airport will be privately funded green field project. Hence profitability of mopa airport with functional Dabolim domestic airport has to be accounted by the bidder, not by government.

Thirdly, international tourists are flying thousands of kilometers after well researched destination study, hence travelling from mopa to canacona will not tilt balance in favour of vengurla or malvan. It will be naïve to think that tourists flying thousands of kilometers will prefer to stay in and around pernem for holidays only due to proximity of airport.

Last but not the least, mopa airport will trigger development in hinter land of pernem, bardez, bicholim, sattari, tiswadi and ponda. Vast track of agricultural land will turn into vegetable, horticulture , dairy and service industry backyard for touristic demand to the tune of 60 lac tourist / yr. The total area of north goa is 1,73,600 hector having population to the tune of 8.18 lacs. Some fear that only north goa will be benefitted due to mopa. For the sake of argument, let us presume it is correct. Total area of north goa to the tune of 1,73,600 hector having population of 8.18 lac will be benefitted by sacrificing the area of 917 hector for airport . The affected land owners can be compensated with the market rate for land and partnership in the development. Friends, is it not worth?

Some fear that, part of Maharashtra will be benefitted due to Mopa air port. The konkan tourism will develop with mopa or without mopa as domestic airport at chipi is under construction. In fact, Mopa airport will provide better opportunities for Goan investors to invest in kokan hinter lands. Some investors have already taken such steps, hence mopa airport will increase the net worth of Goans.

This issue is not north versus south. Issue is grabbing only available opportunity to create lakhs of jobs in tourism, service sector for unemployed Goan youth.

The famous writer Dante in his epic poem, The Divine Comedy

“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis”

Friends, finally choice rest with Goan youths

UNQUOTE".

FIGHT AGAINST MOPA AIRPORT.

http://www.oheraldo.in/News/Main%20Page%20News/Churchill-resolves-to-lead-anti-Mopa-drive/76030.html

 

Goa Su-Raj Party believes that the fight against MOPA must be leaderless. Leaders have made U-Turns after they got what they wanted and have taken the gullible supporters for jolly good rides. The need of the hour is that MOPA must be fought at all levels, tooth and nail, politically, apolitically and at citizens of Goa level, because, MOPA is going to be the back-door-merger of Goa into Maharashtra and Goa's Civilian Airport at Dabolim will be gobbled by the Navy, which, by the way, is the primary instigator for MOPA. Churchill Alemao is not saying anything new. Even a lay Goan knows that once MOPA comes up and is operational, the Navy will shut all Civilian flights at Dabolim. And who is going to question that? There will be thousand and one excuses given by the Navy to justify the closure of Civilian fights at Dabolim. Besides, the MOPA operators will be hand in in gloves with the Navy so that MOPA becomes the sole Civilian airport of Goa. When this happens, none of the present rulers will probably be around and therefore MOPA Airport will be the milling stone around the necks of Goans.

MOPA must be stopped at all costs. Therefore, every Goan fighting for this sole purpose is important and vital without a single-headed leader, for obvious reasons. Churchill Alemao's record on MOPA is highly unsatisfactory while the record of consistency of the UGDP is highly questionable. If not, GSRP would like the answers from the UGDP on their candidate having withdrawn from the bye-election race in the Cortalim Assembly Constituency in 2012 where Ms. Alina Saldanha was elected unopposed. By all means let Churchill Alemao lead the fight with his supporters. By all means, let the UGDP be the follower of the limp Congress led by Churchill Alemao, since Churchill Alemao is still in the Congress Camp. But let it not confuse the people of Goa with insinuations that Fr. Eremito is the agent of the BJP. The people of Goa are no fools to be sidelined. Let everyone contribute towards solidifying the fight in their own ways until the MOPA abomination is dropped to the satisfaction of all. But one thing is sure. Goa's ANTI MOPA fight must be GOA'S fight and not the fight of Churchill Alemao or Fr. Eremito Rebello or whoever. For, Goans cannot afford to lose this Anti MOPA fight. It is, again, vital to Goa's survival. They surely will, if they allow themselves to be DIVIDED by self-centered forced fighting in the name of Goa and Goans.

floriano lobo

General Secretary

GSRP

9890470896

www.goasu-raj.org

KUWAIT NEEDS GOODWILL FROM EXPATRIATES.

Having no safe place for delivering her blessed son, Mother Mary finally took shelter in the Stable where she delivered the baby boy Jesus Christ.

Having no other choice to hide her illegal status in Kuwait, recently the young female expatriate in Kuwait finally hid herself in the Bucket to avoid detection from the security personnel, unfortunately for her, she was caught.

Inspite of having her official and legal residence document in order, recently as reported in the local Press, one young Filipina lady was raped by the 2 Kuwaiti Policemen and by one Egyptian who was with them. This Filipina lady was sleeping peacefully in her room expecting no problem from the Kuwaiti security personnel. But even then she was not let to enjoy her freedom.

Now the question comes: Who and which expatriate is safe in Kuwait now? It looks  there is no more safe place left for the expatriates in Kuwait now going by the trend of this rape taken place.

The incident was this: These days security checks are very rigid for those who violate the local rules and regulations. Not only on the road but even at your homes at night time security personnel come and check your residence permits, if you fail to open the door of your Flat when they knock at your main door, they have authority even to break the main door and enter your Flat.

As per the report appearing in the local Arab Times dated 25th of this month, at about 3.00 in the midnight there was a knock at the door of one Flat where a Filipina lady of 39 years was alone sleeping while her female colleagues in the Flat were doing night duty. Hearing the midnight knock at her door, the sleeping lady got alerted and opened the main door. To her surprise she noticed a Policeman who entered inside and asked her Civil ID Card to check whether she is a legal or illegal resident of Kuwait. After noticing her status is legal in Kuwait, he went along with her to her bedroom and raped her inspite of her cries and pleas not to do so. Then another Policeman raped her followed by their Egyptian friend as well.

The raped lady then contacted her Philippine Embassy and handed over to Embassy the Handcuff one of the Policemen mistakenly forgot in her room. Philippine Embassy then contacted its Lawyer who in turn contacted the Undersecretary of Interior Ministry. Then immediately all the three culprits were arrested and they are now in Police custody pending trial. Kudos to the Undersecretary for taking such a swift action.

Arresting an illegal expatriate is not wrong but arresting a legal resident is wrong. It is my plea to the Government of Kuwait to put a full stop to the checking of residence status of expatriates at night time when they are sleepinng. The midnight knock has to be stopped, such midnight knocks were introduced in India by that Monster Indira Gandhi during her Emergency Rule in India in 1975, renowned Indian journalist Kuldeep Nayar was one of the victims of such Midnight Knock.

In Kuwait what I noticed is this that mostly the poor Filipinas are the victims of molestations and rapes even by the men in Uniforms. By raping the poor Filipina both the accused Kuwaiti Policemen brought dishonour and shame not only on them but also on their reputed and dignified Uniforms. I cannot understand why Filipinas are subjected to such an inhuman treatment especially by the men in Uniforms. Is it because of their fair complexion or poverty?

The worst type of humiliation Iraqi soldiers inflicted during the first three days of invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, in Kuwait City on poor Filipinas was when many of them were raped and sexually abused. It was inhuman and barbaric. To avoid further raping, on 4th day of the invasion of Kuwait, most of the Filipinas from the City area went underground and disappeared from this area taking shelter elsewhere in Kuwait. When Iraqi soldiers acted like wild animals in Kuwait the whole world condemned Iraqi men in Uniforms. Cannot world take note of Kuwaiti Policemen who failed to act decently befitting the dignity of their Uniforms? Good that this incident came to light openly but who can say there are no more such incidents happened in Kuwait which remained unnoticed due to many reasons? It is a worst crime to commit rapes by the men in Uniforms when they are duty bound to protect the females bodily. This incident brought Kuwait’s image into disrepute because law protectors turned law breakers.

Coming to your house by the Policeman at night time to check your residence papers creates scary feelings in you. This type of checking can be done even during the daytime but surely not at night time. This type of midnight knock at your door creates fear in you even though you may be a legal resident in Kuwait. The gravity of fear into the minds and hearts of expatriates has increased tremendously after the raping incident of a Filipina by the Kuwait Policemen. Because of this incident expatriates like me have lost our confidence in Kuwaiti Policemen. Expatriates like me in Kuwait are not slaves and by working in Kuwait we are not doing a favour on Kuwait and by allowing us to work in Kuwait, Kuwait is not doing a favour on us. It is purely a commercial dealing and no favour is involved in this transaction. It is only a commercial transaction.

The incidents like the Kuwaiti Policemen raping a Filipina creates a very bad image of Kuwait, not only internally but more externally. Kuwait needs more goodwill from all around the globe. During the invasion period of Kuwait, many persons came to me to advise me to withdraw our support to Kuwait giving so many excuses to justify their advice. We Goans under my leadership and initiative organised a heavy movement by holding public rallies and meetings in Goa to raise our voices against Iraq and in support of Kuwait. The ripples of our movement reached even to UN and all over the world evoking anger from Saddam Hussein who was under the impression that India is with him. But thru our movement we put Saddam Hussein into shame and brought pressure on Indian government to forcefully support Kuwait in world forums and outside.

One of the reasons the opponents of Kuwait cited was that Kuwaitis are raping our mothers, sisters, daughters and other females working as domestics in Kuwait adding further that these Kuwaitis should be taught a very good lesson otherwise they will not improve. But I flatly refused to accept their advice and we went ahead in our movement. My answer to them was this: I fully agree with what you said but this is not the time to tackle this issue. At an appropriate time I will handle this issue separately but now we have to go on with our movement against the invasion of Kuwait and we went ahead and succeeded thereby inviting appreciation from Kuwait government and other Kuwaitis. 

Hence, Kuwait and Kuwaitis must strive to brighten their image globally by treating expatriates humanely.

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Kuwait.