INDIAN ARMY, NAVY WEBSITES SAY DABOLIM WAS CIVILIAN AIRPORT PRIOR TO 19 DECEMBER 1961

PANJIM: Even as opposition to the navy's acquisition of two more islands and Bimbvel beach in Mormugao taluka is growing, information on army and navy websites points to the fact that Dabolim airport was used purely for civilian operations before December 19, 1961.

According to the Indian Navy's website (indiannavy. nic.in), in the section 'Transition to triumph', chapter 17, there is an input on 'The Goa Operation in December 1961' written by a naval officer who was part of Operation Vijay. It states: "Lt Cdr (later Admiral) RH Tahiliani, flew the Seahawks from Vikrant in 1961. He recalls: 'Early on the morning of 18 December, we were briefed that the Portuguese had Sabres in Goa and that they would possibly be coming out to sea to attack us. I was the leader of the first combat air patrol to get airborne at first light. I positioned myself between the ship and Goa and followed this routine throughout the day. We did not sight any enemy at all. After the operation, it transpired that the Portuguese did not have a single aircraft at Goa. It was faulty intelligence'." This clearly indicates that the airport was used for civilian purposes. The website of India's armed forces (www.bharatrakshak. com), has a piece that throws more light into what transpired at that time. An article written by air force officer Air Marshal S Raghavendran describes the events and states: "The Dabolim airport was up for grabs and it was offered to the Air Force automatically but they didn't need a base in the area as they already had Poona and there was no operational need for a base involving considerable outlay. Then the navy stepped in and the rest is history."

Interestingly, the article also has a paragraph which states: 'The greatest beneficiary in the liberation of Goa was the Indian Navy. They didn't fire a single shot. The Portuguese admiral surrendered with all his ships in the port, including the Albuquerque, the flag ship of the Portuguese navy..."

Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule by the Indian Union on December 19, 1961, after which the airport at Dabolim came under the Indian Navy's control. Social activist and former tourism minister Matanhy Saldanha said, "The airport was run by the Obras Publicas (public works department) of the provincial government of Goa, and not by the authorities in Lisbon. A private airline Transportes Aéreos da Índia Portuguesa ran civilian operations. A government of India gazette in the 1960s states that Dabolim has been categorized as an airport, not a defence airport. Similarly, airports taken over during a war, are handed back to the civilians once the war is over. This was not done after the 1962 Indo-China war." Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik, who has also been consistently voicing his opposition to the Navy's occupation of the airport said, "We would like to know what title documents the Navy holds to justify their names in the Form I and XIV. The Goa government did acquire some land and handed it over to the Navy. However, most of the land has been occupied by them. When the Airport Authority of India requested them for some land, they refused to give it. This is like, we the airport owners are mundkars (tenants) in our own land. Even mundkars have better rights."

Regarding Navy's acquisition of Bimbvel beach and the St George islands, Saldanha says, "We have already made a great sacrifice by handing over Anjediva island to the Navy, free of cost. Now, they want more. Is the Coast Guard not competent to patrol the coast? Is the Navy unsure of itself?" Saldanha said. (TNN)