Plan to shut civilian operations at Dabolim put on hold: Viriato

Margao: South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes claimed that the proposal to shut down Dabolim airport for commercial flights was temporarily shelved. Fernandes said that the “conspiracy” remains a threat to the state’s economy.Fernandes alleged that the plan to close Dabolim is part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP, with full knowledge of its state leadership.“The file that was moved was only kept on hold; the move has not been stopped. Govt’s conspiracy is exposed, and therefore the move has been kept in abeyance,” he said, adding that he would not the shutdown to proceed under any circumstances.This development comes days after Fernandes created a political storm by claiming state govt has given its consent to the Centre to shut down Dabolim for commercial and civil operations — a move opposition parties called a “shocking betrayal” of Goans.

The MP also wrote to defence minister Rajnath Singh, requesting continuity of civil operations.Clarifying the issue of construction height restrictions around Dabolim, Fernandes said these were imposed by the Union ministry of civil aviation through a circular dated Sep 30, 2015, and not by the Navy. “The Navy is merely complying with the directives issued by the civil aviation ministry,” he said.Responding to a question on the gold smuggling case at Dabolim airport, Fernandes alleged that directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) officers faced “immense pressure” to shut down the probe. He said a minister was involved and vowed to pursue the matter relentlessly.