The Environment Appraisal Committee’s recommendation to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to give the Environmental and CRZ clearance to South West Port for its expansion project to transport coal and iron ore from the MPT, is arbitrary and flies in the face of genuine objections, including from the Chief Minister of Goa. It smacks of non-application of genuine mind on the merits of giving clearances to a project which the locals backed by ground evidence, have rejected. It indicates that the Environment Appraisal Committee of the MoEF &CC mandated to address environmental concerns has shown scant respect for its mandate and in haste done a great disservice to the people of Goa by recommending the grant of EC and CRZ clearance to the infrastructure giant JSW’s South West Port expansion project.
The MoEF, if it wants to assess this case on merit and genuine ground report and not rely on the submissions only of the project proponent, should reject the EAC’s recommendations outright and re-examine the case honestly. The current recommendation to grant EC and CRZ clearances is not honest and here’s why.
It would have been actually amusing, if it wasn’t so preposterous that the EAC “noted that various steps have been taken towards air pollution control measures which vehemently control the particulates emissions in the terminal at the present scenario.” The minutes further state, “On being satisfied with the submissions of the project proponent in response to its observations, EAC recommended the project for grant of environmental and CRZ clearance”.
The EAC has some serious explaining to do. On what basis did it conclude that it was satisfied with the submissions of the project proponent (South West Port). Did it conveniently overlook that the pollution caused due to which the project should be evaluated not merely on whether the handling area is polluted or not but on whether pollution is caused during the long transportation process where incidents of coal spillage is the norm rather than the exception?
The handling of coal properly and usage of sprinklers and other so called mitigation measures is simply not good enough to recommend an EC and CRZ clearance, in the light of so much ground level pollution at the transportation stage which has not been controlled.
The same EAC had deferred its decision earlier. The people of Goa need to know and be told clearly, what were the defining changes which shifted the goal posts, prompting them to recommend the EC and CRZ clearance. Have the queries raised against the project by the people during public hearings been addressed? If so, then It’s surprising why the people have no idea about this. EAC had also sought point-wise replies to concerns expressed during the public hearing, and also a statement of representations received during the additional period of seven days after the public hearing. Where are the replies to the point wise concerns? And if the replies are indeed there, it is the people who need to be satisfied too, not just the EAC.
The Goa government has clearly told the Centre in writing of its decision to oppose the expansion. In August 2017, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar wrote to MoEF&CC not to allow South West Port Limited to increase its coal handling capacity, until the level of particulate matter in Vasco was well within standards. Thus, did the EAC have empirical evidence to conclude that the level of particulate matter was now within standards?
GSPCB’s air quality monitoring reports have indicated that the particulate matter (PM) exceeds prescribed limits for the present handling capacity. The board has already directed the South West Port to reduce their present handling capacity by 25%. Is there evidence of that compliance?
The Goa government should be expected to raise the same points and ask the same questions we have asked. It should make a strong case on why the EAC recommendations should be rejected outright and a serious non-partisan and professional appraisal should replace this shoddy one-sided unprofessional appraisal by the EAC, which after all is an arm of the Ministry of Environment.
