Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar has asked for Prime Ministers immediate intervention to salvage the threat to the arising out of the unmanned stranded Naphtha vessel off Marmagoa Port Trust.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, Girish Chodankar has demanded that the operations be taken over by National Disaster Management Authority and detailed investigation through Defence Intelligent Agency (DIA) & National Investigation Agency(NIA).
GPCC president in his letter sent to Prime Ministers office today has stated that there is a serious threat perception and an impending Ecological and Environmental disaster to the State of Goa due to a unmanned stranded Ship ‘MT NU SHI NALANI (IMO NO. 9619608)’ off the famous tourist destination Donapaula in the vicinity of Raj Bhawan, adjoining the Capital City Panaji on its North and the Port Town of Vasco – Da- Gama on its South. The Goa International Airport is also located a few Kilometers away from the location of the stranded Ship.
Girish has also stated in his letter that the Chief Minister of Goa has been briefing the media with conflicting and confusing statements about the said stranded Ship and as such has created fear and anxiety in the minds of the public at large about the likely calamity which may occur by an explosion or leakage in the said stranded Ship..
The letter further states that, CM has categorically stated that the said Ship is loaded with highly inflammable Naphtha which has originated from a Port in Pakistan and has travelled to India. It is unclear how and why the said Ship was given permission to enter the Mormugao Port Trust. It is also unclear under whose instructions the MPT allowed the Ship to enter the port area.
Girish Chodankar has also brought it to the Prime Ministers notice that, In its submission to the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay at Goa, the Mormugao Port Trust has stated that “there is imminent danger of tankers bottom breaking and letting of 2000 odd metric tonnes of Naphtha besides Diesel and Oil into the Sea, and has said that In view of the above submission, it has become extremely important to take steps to salvage the Ship on top most priority.
The letter further mentions that the circumstantial evidences pinpoint fingers towards one of the Cabinet Minister of Goa, who is allegedly responsible for getting the said Ship to Goa with some ulterior motives. The Chief Minister is busy defending his minister for reasons best known to him without explaining the mystery surrounding the stranded vessel.
