GSPCB asked to have public consultation on ore terminal

GSPCB asked to have public consultation on ore terminal
HERALD REPORTER
VASCO, AUG 20
The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has asked the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to have a public consultation on the development of iron ore terminal at West of Breakwater (WOB) proposed by Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
According to sources in MPT, MPT officials along with GSPCB on Thursday had a meeting, where MPT made a presentation of iron ore terminal.
The expert appraisal committee of MoEF then asked GSPCB to have a public consultation on the issue.
Top officials from MPT informed that expert appraisal committee of MoEF asked GSPCB to have public consultation on the proposed iron ore terminal at WOB. Accordingly, the port made an application to GSPCB and paid all the fees and requested to have public consultation for the project.
Said GSPCB chairman Dr Simon D’Souza: “The board members were of the view that since Vasco is facing coal dust pollution due to manual handling of coal at Berth No 10 and 11, coal handling should be shifted towards sea, as the present proposed iron ore terminal at WOB and present coal handing should be replaced with container yard,” said D’Souza.
D’Souza said GSPCB has not asked MPT to stop any expansion work and the board will discuss on the issue further and meet once again.
The proposed iron ore terminal at WOB will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,012 crore on Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The terminal would be a dedicated iron ore berth with back-up area with 1.5 lakh sq mtrs with stockpile area of 70,000 sq mtrs.
The berth length will be 300 mtrs (main berth) and 300 mtrs (barge berth) with capacity of 7.2 metric tonnes and project would be completed by February 2014.
The GSPCB’s suggestion to shift the existing manual coal handling at the proposed iron ore terminal at WOB will not get weight-age from MPT since they have proposed to convert manual coal handling to mechanized coal terminal at Berth No 11 as per the High Court and GSPCB directives, while the proposed coal terminal would be developed in covered dome storage shape with conveyor and state-of-art facilities, giving less scope for dust pollution.