Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and BJP MLAs on Thursday strongly refuted claims regarding the future of Dabolim Airport, accusing South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes of making baseless allegations for political mileage ahead of elections.
With elections nearing, the Chief Minister said the Opposition was attempting to manufacture issues. “Elections cannot be fought over Dabolim Airport alone,” Sawant said, accusing the MP of making statements outside Parliament to gain “weightage.”
“Dabolim Airport will never be shut down. That is my clear statement,” the CM asserted, reiterating the assurance given on the floor of the House.
Echoing similar sentiments, MLA Sankalp Amonkar accused MP Viriato of misleading the public. “He has a habit of misleading the people. On every issue, he is misleading the public,” Amonkar said. He maintained that Dabolim Airport would neither be closed nor handed over to the Navy.
Amonkar further alleged that the Opposition was raising the issue as it had no substantial matters to corner the government. He pointed out that the Chief Minister had already assured in the Assembly that the airport would remain operational and added that Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho was making significant efforts to ensure its continued functioning.
Meanwhile, MLA Nilesh Cabral challenged the MP to substantiate his claims of possessing “confidential information” regarding the airport. “Allegations must be backed by evidence,” Cabral said.
Asserting the importance of the facility, Cabral added, “We need Dabolim,” stressing that the airport must continue its operations.
