Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday assured the Goa delegation led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that the issue of Naval NOC for constructions will be resolved shortly.
The Union Minister has also assured the Goa delegation that the Dabolim International Airport will continue to function, said Godinho.
The chief minister said that they have addressed the Indian Navy’s regulations on the buffer zone around the Dabolim airport with the defence minister and asked the latter to request an exemption from the requirement that no building take place within a 50-meter radius of the airport.
The team pleaded with the Minister to find a solution by lowering the current 200-meter radius to 50 meters due to Goa’s small size.
According to the Chief Minister, the Union Defense Minister promised to meet with the Naval Chief in a fortnight to make the necessary decisions. They were also given assurances by Rajnath Singh that the Dabolim Airport will be operational for commercial flights. “Our meeting with the Union Defence Minister was fruitful,” Sawant stated.
The Goa group had previously met with Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to discuss upgrading the Dabolim Airport’s infrastructure as well as increasing national and international connectivity to the recently constructed Mopa International Airport.
They requested that the Civil Aviation Minister promote Goa in accordance with the Open Skies Policy by establishing connections with new nations, boosting international connectivity, and boosting tourist inflow to the State, Sawant said, adding that the new connectivity would be at Mopa.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has assured that the Dabolim airport in Goa will continue to be open for civilian aircraft.
Sawant, along with his cabinet colleagues Rohan Khaunte and Mauvin Godinho and BJP Rajya Sabha member Sadanand Tanavade is in Delhi at present.
The chief minister on Friday met Defence Minister Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
Sawant said he discussed various GST-related issues with Sitharaman. The state government also sought the finance ministry’s support for hosting National Games 2023, scheduled to be held in October.