Mopa airport is hoax: ex-MP

Panjim: Former member of Parliament John Fernandes has attributed the noises linked to Mopa airport as the handiwork of realtors and politicians with vested interests.
Ruling out an airport at Mopa, he said the airport hype was being rake up by land sharks who have acquired and usurped huge chunk of ‘deemed communidade’ land through ‘Titles’ from colonial Portuguese.
Title land also known as ‘mokaso’ land, has been held in Sanquelim, Bicholim and Valpoi. The use of this land was given by the Portuguese to these so called landowners as a reward for their services rendered to the Portuguese by shooing away nationalist forces during the Portuguese regime.
This is the reason most of the ‘mokaso’ land is located on the border of Goa, he said.
The former MP said that unlike in rest of the country where all lands belonging to maharajas was vested in the Republic of India, the Government of India did not take over this ‘mokaso’ land because of the mining concessions given to mine owners and probably due to pressure by political groups, although after Liberation ‘Title’ land has been abolished in Diu by a Presidential Order.
Fernandes pointed out that decision about building up of another airport vests in the Central government and the State government can come in only if the Centre requests the State.
This has not been told to the Goa government, he reiterated.
08/09/07 Bosco De Sousa Eremita/Herald Publications

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Categories: Airports Sep 2007, New Sep 2007