PANAJI: Alleging that the state government, right from the conception of the Mopa international airport project, misinformed the residents of the Pernem taluka about the same, the Mopa Vimantall Piditt Xetkari Samiti on Friday demanded that the project be moved out of Mopa, failing which a major taluka-wise agitation would be launched.

“The samiti warns the government that it would go to any extent for protecting the land, water resources and agriculture in the Pernem taluka, which are gravely threatened by the greenfield international airport project,” the committee members added.
The secretary of MVPXS, Mr Sandip Kambli addressing a press conference in the city, along with other members of the committee said that nowhere around the globe, such a large land is being acquired as done for the Mopa airport project.
“The fact is that land mafia, with the support of MLAs and cabinet ministers who have bought much land in this area, is using the Mopa airport project for its own ulterior motives,” he added.
Pointing out that not only the livelihood but the very existence of the residents of Varkhand, Casarvarnem, Chandel, Ugvem and Mopa villages has been threatened due to the Mopa airport project, Mr Kambli said that contrary to the data portrayed in the official reports, more than 15,000 people are directly dependent on the agricultural produce generated from the orchards, forests, grazing lands and fields, within and around the plateau selected to set up the airport.
“A rough estimate of  the number of cashew trees that will be lost due to the airport construction is 40 lakhs, which amounts to a turnover of Rs 100 crore annually, at Rs 250 per tree,” he predicted, noting that there are also a large number of betel nut, jackfruit, mango and coconut trees, which the villagers subsist upon.
Speaking further, the MVPXS secretary said that the importance of conserving and protecting the plateau cannot be overstated in the context of water security.
“A giant aquifer supplies water through numerous visible and underground springs, which meet the drinking water and irrigation needs of a large section of the population of the taluka,” he maintained, pointing out that since GMR company will act as a contractor for jobs generating out of the airport project, the chances of locals getting employed through it are scarce.  
The samiti also discussed the social problems generating from the arrival of large workforce – 20,000 to 25,000 workers – to complete the airport project.
Dr Rupesh Patkar of All India Trade Union Congress, extending AITUC support to the samiti said that neither any ecological study, nor any survey about the displacement of residents of five villages near the proposed airport, have been conducted by the government.