VASCO: Hours after Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) certified the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) as the most polluted zone in Goa, the citizens of Vasco while demanding action against the MPT also alleged the GSPCB was acting like a ‘paper tiger’.
The citizens have claimed the GSPCB’s annual report 2016-17, released on Monday has not revealed anything new, as citizens are very well aware of the ground reality with regards to increasing coal pollution and therefore had opposed all three expansions plans by MPT during the recently held public hearing.
“We all were aware of increasing pollution in the city due to coal operations at MPT. However, what shocked us was the fact that the GSPCB which has been vested with enough powers under the environment protection act does not have the will to act in such situations. This is a fit case for GSPCB to withdraw the consent to operate given to all coal handlers and to stop coal operations. If so much of obvious data being there, then forget about expansion, current operations at MPT should be stopped. And if this does not happen then it proves that there is something wrong in the functioning of GSPCB and the board is actually functioning as a ‘Paper Tiger’,” said Vasco based Environmental Activist Advocate Savio J F Correia
“GSPCB’s report only shows that there is something wrong in the functioning of the pollution control board and I suspect their hands are tied by the political leader. Otherwise the board should answer as to why they failed to take action in controlling pollution. The obvious thing the Board should have done is that they should have immediately withdrawn the consent to operate given to MPT as they now have damming data proving that MPT is most polluted zone in the state,” Correia said.
According to Correia even during the recently held public hearing as well as on the floor of the house during some previous proceedings, it has been admitted by GSCPB that pollution standards is above permissible limits in Vasco and still the board failed to act is something very serious.
“We citizens are actually surprised and even it looks like GSPCB is under some sort of pressure, not to act, otherwise there are no other explanations according to me. They have got all the powers but are not ready to exercise it. At the same time they are making a mockery by releasing such data on pollution but are not acting against such pollution,” Corriea said.
On behalf of Citizens Group called Goa Against Coal(GAC), Edwin Mascrenhas said that “We are very happy that finally GSPCB have made such information on pollution public.”
