Goa Mopa Airport Row: Did CM Sawant's Decision Cause Loss Of Rs 207 Crore To Government?

The Goa Opposition has accused CM Pramod Sawant of causing a Rs 207-crore loss by postponing revenue collection from GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL).

Troubles for Goa CM Pramod Sawant continue to mount. In a fresh attempt to corner Sawant, the Opposition leaders in Goa have accused the Goa Chief Minister of formulating policies that caused a loss of more than Rs 207 crore to the government. It has also slammed the government for failing to ensure compliance with environmental rules by the GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL). 

Opposition leaders led by Goa Forward Party (GFP) leader and Fatorda MLA Vijay Sardesai have opened a new front against Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, accusing him of causing significant financial loss to the Goa exchequer. The Opposition leaders have alleged that the Goa cabinet's decision to probe the concession agreement with GGIAL, the promoter of the Manohar International Airport, has caused a huge loss of Rs 207 crore to the state exchequer

How Is Pramod Sawant's Decision Causing 'Loss' To Goa?

According to former Goa Deputy CM Vijay Sardesai, the government was initially slated to start collecting the revenue from May 31, 2024. But the decision of CM Sawant's cabinet postponed it till December 7, 2024. The Opposition has now questioned this decision. Sardesai said that the government was supposed to collect 37% of the revenue from GMR Mopa airport every month, which is about Rs 18 crore. However, the government will now have to waive this revenue till December 2024.

This adds up to more than Rs 200 crore. During the recent assembly session, Chief Minister Sawant said that the revenue share will be paid from December 7, 2024.

The Concessionaire Agreement with the promoter of the Mopa airport, GGIAL, was amended due to the impact of Covid. However, Sardesai pointed out that the extension till December was on account of the Covid pandemic's impact for 20 days. This, Sardesai said, was unjust, especially when GGIAL's 2024-25 reported revenue was Rs 960 crore. 

'Non-Compliance' To Environmental Rules

Apart from this, Sardesai also criticised the government for failing to ensure compliance to environmental rules by GGIAL. The Opposition stressed that GGIAL has not built the compulsory green belt around the airport, which was mandated in an order issued by the Supreme Court in January 2020. The CM's office, however, said that GGIAL had requested more time to develop the green belt.