By Aires Rodrigues
Goa’s new Airport at Mopa in Pernem was inaugurated on December 11th but even after four months the authorities have failed to get the fundamentals in place. The confusion and controversy began with the goof up in the very naming of the Airport. Inaugurating the airport, the Prime Minister named it as Manohar International Airport. While the general impression was that it was named after Manohar Parrikar, it did not deter former Pernem MLA Manohar Azgaonkar from being elated thinking that it was named after him.
Why couldn’t the authorities get the name right in the first place to avoid the huge expenditure that will be incurred on the new signages all over that will now be required
Amidst the administrative mess that Goa is grappling with, the government has not been able to yet resolve even the taxi issue at the Mopa Airport. Having promised taxi permits on priority to those who have lost land in making way for this airport, the authorities must ensure that they don’t renege on that pledge.
A fully functional MOPA Airport is still pie in the sky with several key aspects still outstanding and errors that need rectifying at huge expense to the taxpayer. The upgrading of infrastructure around the airport and beyond to avoid unnecessary congestion is still outstanding.
It would be prudent for the government to learn the lessons from the administrative mishaps that have occurred in this Airport project to ensure that they are not repeated in other ventures that are contemplated. All acts of governance should be with transparency and accountability as corner stones
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