Thaindian News

Panaji, Feb 2 (IANS) The Indian Navy and other central agencies are only keen on hogging land in Goa on various pretexts, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said Wednesday.Kamat was replying to a calling attention motion moved by ruling party legislator Mauvin Godhino in the state assembly on efforts being made by the Indian Navy to acquire two islands and a beach for “public purpose” without consulting the state government.

“I receive requests…central agencies want 100 acres, 50 acres, under this pretext or that pretext…that they want to participate in this project. I have always denied them land. No question of acquiring islands for the Indian Navy. Navy has not even approached state government. They should have given presentation why they need land,” Kamat told the assembly.

Earlier, Godinho said that the navy was trying to acquire two islands Grande and Pequeno and Bimbel beach, all located off the Mormugao sub-district, some 50 km from here.

Kamat said the state government had a bad experience in dealing with central government agencies once it handed over land to them.

“Once land is given to central agencies, the experience of the state government has not been good. The navy was making us dance for 2.5 acre land when we asked them for land for the purpose of expansion of the (Dabolim) airport,” Kamat said.

Goa’s only airport at Dabolim is a military airport, under the control of the naval authorities.

“We will have to frame a proper policy for handing over land to central agencies,” Kamat said.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar said that central agencies, including the military, were interested in encroaching land everywhere.

“There have been examples in the past… the Adarsh scam, Sukhna scam… they have eye on this beautiful land,” Parrikar said.

The Indian Navy has maintained that the two islands and the beach fall in the approach path of the runaway at Goa’s Dabolim airport and these are needed to counter security threat to the airfield.