MONDAY, MAY 06, 2024
Team Herald
Panjim: Countering the charges of anti-coal brigade, the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) has rubbished the apprehensions about increase in coal transportation after doubling of railway line, from Hospet to Vasco, while assuring that the coal transportation will be decreased in future.
In a reply to a public grievance raised by Agacaim local Floyd Dias, the RVNL Chief Project Manager PK Kshatriya claimed that the actual reason for increase of pollution in Goa is not coal transportation but abnormal increase in number of vehicles in the last five years.
He also maintained that the proposed railway track doubling work will strengthen the railway network and connectivity.
“The apprehension that transportation of coal will increase after doubling is factually not correct. In fact, all over the world, focus is now on clean and green fuels and conventional sources of energy including coal will be giving way to renewable sources,” he said.
The senior official said that under the flagship ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ programme, the import of coal is being discouraged.
Revealing the statistics of coal transportation from Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), by the South Western Railway (SWR) in last five years, Kshatriya said that from the peak value of 12.25 metric tonnes, the quantum has reduced to 9 metric tonnes, a drastic 25 percent reduction from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
“Thus it is crystal clear that transportation of coal is displaying a trend of steady decline. The declining trend is expected to be pronounced further in view of discouraging use of imported coal,” he said, while adding, “it is assured that transportation of coal will get decreased in future”.
The senior official said that despite reduction in coal transportation in last five years, the pollution level has increased in Goa, which clearly indicates that coal is not the reason but an abnormal increase in the number of vehicles plying in the State, in the form of taxis and tourist vehicles.
“The double tracking will facilitate reduction in the number of tourist vehicles coming to Goa and therefore will help in improving pollution,” he said.
Kshatriya also said that apprehension with regards to felling of 50,000 trees to be cut is also not correct and that during actual execution of the work, all attempts will be made for minimizing the number of trees.
Further, RVNL informed that the existing single line track between Caranzol to Kalem was laid between 1880 and 1905, much before the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National park were notified.
“Out of 240 sq kms area of the wildlife sanctuary, railway possesses 0.87 sq kms of land, which comprises hardly 0.3 per cent of the total protected area,” he said.
Kshatriya also claimed that there is huge demand for introducing new passenger trains connecting Goa from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other States, which can be fulfilled after increase in sectional capacity only with double tracking.
