NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The central government has agreed to enhance the immigration as well as other facilities existing at the Dabolim Airport on priority basis, in view of the 8th Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit scheduled to be held in Goa on October 15 and October 16, later this year. India is assuming the chair of the BRICS from February 2016 to December 2016.
Coming out with this information, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told ‘The Navhind Times’ Wednesday evening that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has agreed to provide required training to the immigration staff posted at the lone airport in Goa, besides employing additional immigration officers and opening multiple immigration counters to cater to the arriving delegates from a number of countries.
The Chief Minister, who earlier in the day met Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and a number of top dignitaries and diplomats from the member countries, besides 8,000 to 10,000 delegates from India and abroad would come down to Goa for attending the important event.
“I informed the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs that Goa has not hosted an international event of this scale, in the recent past and therefore, the Centre should provide state-of-the-art facilities to the Dabolim Airport, which is a small airport, including immigration facilities,” he added, pointing out that Rijiju has not only agreed to extend all the possible help to Goa, in this regard, but also visit Goa by prior intimation, to oversee the provision of these facilities.
The Centre is also expected to create a link pertaining to the immigration facilities between airports in Mumbai and Goa in view of the summit. A series of events including the BRICS Under-17 football tournament, BRICS Film Festival, BRICS Wellness Forum, BRICS Youth Forum, BRICS Young Diplomat’s Forum, BRICS Trade Fair, and BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave, besides the think-tank and academic forums would be organised at the backdrop of BRICS Summit throughout the year, across the country.
Speaking further, Parsekar informed that he also called upon Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad in connection with the use of the BSNL land at Cujira, for the purpose of streamlining the traffic involving students studying at the Integrated Education Complex in the same locality. “The state government had sent an official communication to the BSNL in this connection, but there was no reply,” he informed, stating that Ravi Shankar Prasad has already directed the Mumbai Circle of BSNL to make a study in this regard and send a related report to him, at the earliest.
“I informed the Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology that many schools have been recently shifted to Cujira Integrated Educational Complex and more are awaiting to be shifted,” the Chief Minister said, stating that Prasad was further informed about the need to use the BSNL land, so as to open out the school traffic directly on NH 17, thus largely relieving traffic congestion during school opening and closing hours.
Parsekar further said that he met the national general secretary (organisation) of the Bharatiya Janata Party and discussed issues pertaining to the organisation of party’s state unit.