Traveling to Goa has yet another reason. Mopa, Goa’s second airport, that is soon to come up, will have casinos. This was announced by the state’s chief minister, Pramod Sawant, on Monday.
Like most facilities available at airports, access to casinos will also only be open to passengers. In addition, Mopa airport will have hotels across price categories. These include wellness, eco and adventure resorts.
The announcement is significant, given that there has been a strong protest against casinos in the state. Some local bodies say the casinos are against local culture, while environmental groups point to their impact on the local ecology. Last week, the state announced that the floating casinos on the Mandovi, that have been under the radar for long, will be relocated to another location, by the end of the year.
Mopa is located in the Pernem taluka in North. Some of the better-known locations will be easily accessible from here. Like, Arambol (25km); Morjim (28km); Assagao (31km).
Mopa airport is being developed by GMR and the Goa state government. Phase 1 was expected to be ready by 2020. But it has been mired in litigation over damage to the environment. The new go-live date is likely to be some time in 2021.