Team Herald
PORVORIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday assured the Legislative Assembly that no coal hub would come up at any of the proposed new railway stations in Goa.
Responding to a calling attention motion by Velim MLA Cruz Silva, Sawant said, “If new stations are announced in other States, people welcome them. Here, there are objections. Those objecting should submit their concerns in writing. We will conduct a proper study and forward the objections to the Centre. However, we welcome the proposed station at Mayem—Bicholim taluka needs a station.”
Earlier, Sawant acknowledged that railway projects fall under the jurisdiction of the Central government, limiting the State’s role in decision-making.
The discussion in the Assembly followed an uproar over concerns that these new stations—proposed at Sarzora, Neura, and Mayem—could be used for coal handling.
Silva, in his calling attention motion, pointed out that the newly announced railway stations at Mayem, São José de Areal, and Neura are unnecessary for passenger convenience, given the proximity of existing stations.
“Villagers fear these stations are being developed to facilitate coal and other polluting industries, with possible port connectivity that could severely impact local communities and farmers,” he said.
He urged the State government to hold discussions with the Konkan Railway Corporation and the Union government and provide transparency on the matter.
“No licences, permissions, or approvals should be granted for these projects until all concerns are addressed and stakeholders are taken into confidence,” Silva asserted.
During the Zero Hour session, Sant Andre MLA Viresh Borkar raised similar concerns, stating that villagers of Neura, Agassaim, and Dongrim fear severe environmental damage if a railway station is developed in Neura’s khazan lands.
“The proposed site falls in an ecologically sensitive cultivable area. Large-scale landfilling will lead to irreversible destruction,” Borkar warned, adding that the existing Karmali railway station, just six kilometres away, already serves the area.