VASCO: The members of Goa Against Coal (GAC) on Friday revealed they intended to file a complaint before the central vigilance committee (CVC) against MPT for concealing some crucial information about capital dredging. CAC said MPT claimed the port could handle vessels having draft up to 14.5 meters thus requiring capital dredging. However in reality the port had already handled coal cargo vessels having draft of 17.81 meters which made them feel there was a major scam.
Addressing a press conference in Vasco, GAC member and RTI activist Avinash Tawares said “MPT has been lying to the people as the EIA report on dredging plans speaks about the need to dredge approach channel from 14.5 meters to 19 odd meters depth for capsize vessels at MPT. Now through MPT’s own documents, it is learnt that on three occasions in the year 2015, MPT had handled capsize vessels with draft of 17.81 meters and that too at berth number 7 which as per MPT has draft of 14.5 meters” he said.
He further added, “Now we feel that the depth of channel is far more than what has been mentioned in EIA and possibly instead of 60 percent MPT might have dredged hundred percent and this whole exercise of dredging looks like a scam for double billing at the cost of exchequer. We therefore condemn this and demand MPT produce proper data on actual depth of channel and at berths.”
Fishermen leader and GAC member Olencio Simoes demanded the state government denotify MPT’s jurisdiction. Or else MPT would lease out all his land to private parties to destroy Goa. Cyril Fernandes said MPT’s five year plan for 2012 to 2017 had mentioned boosting cruise tourism and to discourage hazardous and dirty cargo, however after BJP came to power in the centre the entire plan was kept aside.
