Mopa international airport will boost tourism in Goa: Governor

Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday said that the upcoming greenfield international airport at Mopa will boost tourism in the state.

He also said that the crime rate in Goa declined by over 10 per cent in 2019, while its detection rate rose by four per cent.

The governor was speaking after hoisting the national flag at Campal Parade ground in Panaji as part of the 71st Republic Day celebrations. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was also present.

"Goa will soon get its international airport, which will boost the tourism industry in the state," Malik said.

The first phase of the proposed airport at Mopa in North Goa is expected to be completed by 2022.

The Supreme Court recently cleared the path for construction of this airport by lifting the suspension on environmental clearance (EC) granted to the project spread over 2,131 acres.

Malik further said, "Between January and September last year, as many as 37,066,14 domestic tourists and 4,93,820 international travellers visited the state."

Goa is creating new avenues of growth through infrastructure development for tourism industry, he added.

Expressing satisfaction over the law and order situation in Goa, the governor said the crime rate of the state declined by 10.4 per cent in 2019, while the crime detection rate rose to 86 per cent in the same year from 82 per cent in 2018.

He said it became possible due to adequate number of staff and implementation of various measures.

Malik lauded the state government for achieving several "milestones", including getting the 'open defecation free' tag under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

He hailed the ban on single-use plastic in the state, calling it an "important step towards conserving the ecology".