VASCO: The Dabolim International Airport, which presently caters to most of the foreigners arriving in the state, will soon get a facelift and also the plans to modernise and upgrade it will be put into action.

However, a couple of issues that haunt this airport have to be solved at the earliest to make it efficient and accord a good welcome to the visitors — one is the issue of stray dogs that frequent the airport premises, and the other is the issue of the foul stench emanating from the toilets and restrooms.
The airport is the gateway to many domestic tourists and most of the foreign arrivals in the state. It is imperative to create a first good impression upon the tourists who step off the plane and step into Goa. However, this is a far cry.
If one visits the airport, especially the international and domestic arrival terminus, one is witness to a number of stray dogs welcoming the tourists with barks and sniffs. These dogs are seen loitering all over the premises and this is a scary sight to the tourists, especially the foreigners, who are not accustomed to the sight of a dog sniffing at the ankles.
Mr Anand Narvekar, who plies a taxi at the airport said, “The street dog menace has become a cause of concern for everyone. Most of the foreigners refuse to stand and talk to the taxi driver or even at the taxi counter, for fear of being bitten by a stray dog.”
He said the street dog menace has reached such proportions because the concerned authorities did not take any preventive measures. He said this menace is affecting the livelihood of the taxi operators.
The second issue that one encounters at the airport is the foul stench emanating from the toilets and wash rooms. This is due to improper sanitation. With thousands of tourists arriving and departing from the  airport on a daily basis, this creates a very bad impression of the facility, and the state as a whole.
The tourists and visitors to the airport have demanded that the airport authorities take immediate steps to rid the area of street dogs and ensure proper cleaning and sanitation, so that the airport becomes a place where the tourists feel welcome and get in the mood to enjoy a good holiday.
When a senior airport official was contacted, he said that they are making attempts to clear the airport area of stray dogs by utilizing the service of local NGOs, however, it was observed that the attempts are largely unsuccessful as every time the airport was cleared, dogs from the neighbouring areas would enter it.
The official further said that in fact the stray dog menace is so serious that a considerable number of dogs have entered the operational area and run along the runway and the taxiway, causing headaches for air traffic control.
He further disclosed that both the airport authorities and naval authorities are helpless in view of the ban on elimination of stray dogs but are worried about the severe implications on aviation safety.
A single dog on the runway can cause an aircraft to skid and the damage could be catastrophic, he added.