PANJIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Sunday announced that coal handling at MPT will be stopped in a phased manner in the next one year.
Sawant also said that the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will be in Goa this month to decide on an alternative for coal handling at MPT.
“The Union Minister is coming this week. He will set up a committee to look for an alternative to coal,” Sawant said.
“We are trying to decrease the amount of coal handling and thereafter stop it. We cannot stop the industry at once. It has been operating since 40 years. To stop it we need at least a year,” Sawant told students, who had come to meet him on the occasion of Diwali demanding “Coal Free Goa”.
Sawant told the students that the government needs to think of other alternative industry.
“Just like we have our children. The workers there also have children and families to look after. Once the other business start and people start getting employment we will slowly stop the coal handling at MPT,” he said.
He said the government needs little time and once alternative industry is found coal handling will be stopped.
“Even I do not want coal in Goa,” he said.
He urged the students not to mix the coal issue with double tracking issue.
“If there is going to be no coal handling in MPT in future what is the problem in double tracking?” he asked.
He said the double tracking project started since 2010 and it just cannot be stopped abruptly.
“However, I have spoken about the concern of Goans to the Railway minister Piyush Goyal who has assured to look into the matter,” he said.
Sawant said out of 300 kms, almost 270 kms is already completed and only 70 is remaining.
“Despite this the railway minister has assured to look into the matter. Double tracking is not for coal only it can be used by passengers and other industries,” he said.
The chief minister also said that wrong information is being spread that 70,000 trees would be cut at Mollem.
“I think for all three projects maximum to maximum 13000 trees will be cut. Right now only one project is coming at Mollem that is 400 kv transmission line. We need this line as we do not generate power and our requirement is increasing every year,” he said.
Also, he added, only six poles are coming in Mollem forest rest area is a private land.
“I am also very much concerned about Mollem and will never allow destruction of the tree cover there,” he added.
