By: Savio Rodrigues
14th of the series of investigation
Document No 17/49/2007 – GAD – II (XXXXIX) dated 11/03/2011 and titled ‘Confidential Most Immediate Cabinet Matter’, reads ‘An extract of the decision taken on the Item/s in the XXXXIXth Cabinet Meeting of the Council of Ministers held on 09/03/2011 at 3.00 pm under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister in the Cabinet Room.
Under Agenda Item No. 12 (Revenue Department) it states: ‘proposal to de-notify an area of 36,800 sqmts under SETTLEMENT ZONE, from Survey No 8/1 part of Village of Dabolim of Mormugao Taluka under Section 48 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. DECISION APPROVED.
Here again in the Cabinet decision it clearly states the 36,800 sqmts land is SETTLEMENT ZONE and to go ahead with the de-notification.
Goa government’s role in the Dabolim Airport Land Acquisition for Expansion (Airport parking) is dubious to say the least; what is even more surprising is that the Chief Minister sat in concurrence to the entire acquisition and the subsequent de-notification.
1. Does a land under acquisition being in SETTLEMENT ZONE as per the reason given in the Cabinet decision becomes a rarest or rare cases which invokes a Cabinet decision to be de-notified after years of the Government of Goa and AAI working towards this acquisition. Will this yard stick also be applied to other Goa government land acquisition in projects such as Mopa or National Highway?
2. Why was the alternate land not belonging to the Government of Goa but to Ministry of Defence and Communidade of Chicalim even considered?
The question know however is will the Congress government at the Centre take a corrective measure to the deliberate scam perpetrated by the Congress-led ministers in the State of Goa and will the axe fall on Revenue Minister Jose Philip DeSouza, Deputy Speaker Mauvin Godinho and Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, since the Congress Government has set a precedence in the Adarsh Scam in Mumbai.
