Team Herald
MARGAO: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on July 24 issued a notice to Mormugao Port Trust, South West Port Ltd, Adani Mormugao Port Terminal, Vedanta and others on a PIL filed by citizens and associations seeking a complete ban on the handling of coal at the Mormugao Port Trust.
The Court has directed the respondent to file their replies and posted the matter to August 20.
The PIL has been filed by Sherwyn Correira, an 18-year-old student from Vasco, Sanjay Redkar, Parshuram Sonurlekar, Old Cross Fishing Canoe Owners Co-op Society Ltd, Concerned Citizen and the Goa Foundation.
The PIL has been filed – together with an application for staying the operation of the consent order of the Pollution Control Board dated July 6, 2018 which has granted SWPL to resume coal handling at the port. The petitioners have asked for cancellation of all permissions, clearances for coal/coke handling at MPT including consents given to Adani and SWPL.
In the interim, the petitioners have asked for a ban on coal operations during nighttime hours. A ban on movement of coal by trucks through Vasco city and a ban on open stacking of coal/coke at MPT berths and stack yards from October 1.
Sherwyn Correira, while briefing the media, said that the dust due to coal should be minimised since it can cause cancer and respiratory ailments.
Parshuram Sonurlekar informed that from 2010, they had been filing complaints to the authorities regarding pollution levels exceeding the limits but not enough action was taken. “In last 6 months, they started transportation to experiment on local people. We are not lab animals to experiment on which is why we went to court”.
Custodiao D’Souza, President of Old Cross Canoe Owners Association, said that the government should not give permission to transport coal, especially during fish breeding season since the coal sludge gets washed into the sea. Sanjay Redkar informed the press that they had checked the pollution levels in the city every day using a handheld pollution meter which indicated that the readings exceeded the permissible limit. “We don’t want coal transportation through the city which is why we are filing this joint petition”, he said
Claude Alvares, while explaining the contents of the petition, said that the government plans to get 136 million tonnes through Goa every year according to the Sagarmala report. “In the last 20 years if you can’t solve the problem of coal pollution, then bring a stop to it ”, he said.
