Team Herald
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday reiterated that the State will not allow expansion of the coal handling facility at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
His statement comes a day after it was revealed that the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), has recommended grant of environment clearance (EC) for the proposed capacity enhancement of South West Port Ltd (SWPL),
“The Expert Appraisal Committee is just a technical recommending committee. It is not the final authority,” Parrikar told Herald. “Irrespective of any recommendation, our stand is very clear that we are not going to allow expansion of coal handling. For us the issue is over with this,” he stated.
“I have been repeatedly saying that we are stopping coal at MPT. We won’t allow any expansion of coal at MPT. I am very clear on that,” he added, stating that the government has already made its stand clear before the Union Ministry.
The EAC at its meeting held on December 15, 2017 recommended the project for grant of environment and CRZ clearance. The Committee at its meeting held in October, had not been satisfied with the SWPL reply to the various queries raised by it.
Goa government, inter-alia through Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) had, in July, 2017 written to the Union Ministry informing that the pollution authority has conducted a public hearing for the project at which the people had opposed and objected to the proposed increase in coal handling as the present handling is causing air pollution in the Vasco.
“The Air Quality Monitoring reports of the Goa State Pollution Control Board indicate that the particulate matter is exceeding the prescribed limits for the present handling capacity and the GSPCB has already directed the South West Port to reduce their present handling capacity by 25percent,” the letter had stated.
