The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to set up a special bench to urgently hear the Goa government’s petition for resumption of construction of a greenfield airport in the village of Mopa, PTI reported.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, who represented the state government, told the top court that the airport’s construction had been stalled for the last 10 months, and pointed out that the petition was pending. “We are not in a position to constitute a special bench now,” said Justices SA Bobde and SA Nazeer. “Mr attorney, our present situation does not permit us to do this.”

One of the lawyers for GMR Goa International Airport Limited told the court that a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud had already heard part of the case, and urged it to conclude hearings at the earliest. The bench asked the lawyers to request Chandrachud to “release the matter”.

In March, the Supreme Court had suspended the environmental clearance granted to the project after a petitioner alleged that more than 5,000 trees would be cut. The court also directed an Expert Appraisal Committee to revisit its decision to grant the clearance.

On October 20, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal called for a “mass movement” against those who oppose development projects in India. He made the remarks at an event in the state. The minister urged non-governmental organisations not to impede development, calling it the “worst form of obstructing justice” for the poor.

Goyal referred to the construction of the Mopa airport, pointing out that it was stalled because of proceedings in the Supreme Court. The minister claimed that such projects would turn Goa into a “world class city”.

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