No long-term commitment yet for defence expo land: Goa CM

The Goa government has not made any formal commitment yet to the Defence Ministry for allotting land on a permanent basis for holding a biennial defence exhibition, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said on Thursday.

The state government has given permission only for the four-day Defence Expo in March 2016 as of now, Parsekar told reporters here.

"We have not taken a decision yet regarding a permanent destination for the exhibition. We will take it up separately," the chief minister said.

Held alternately in Delhi and Bengaluru, the prestigious Defence Expo in 2016 will be held in the picturesque coastal village of Betul in south Goa since a convention centre is coming up at Pragati Maidan in the national capital.

The Defence Expo 2016 will be the ninth exhibition on land, naval and internal homeland security systems, organised by the defence ministry.

The move to shift the exhibition to Goa has met with opposition from the Congress and a section of civil society, who have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of diverting land meant for industrial purposes at Naqueri in Betul for holding the exhibition.

"We will see how the exhibition benefits Goa when it is held in March 2016," Parsekar said.