PANJIM: Against the backdrop of the Supreme Court (SC) verdict on the railway double tracking project, questions have been raised about the role of the Union Mister of State for Ports, Shipping and Inland Waterways and North Goa MP Shripad Naik. Why didn’t he as Ports Minister look at alternate Ports for coal to land outside Goa?
The Central Empowered Committee reporting to the Supreme Court on the efficacy of the three linear projects including double tracking through the eco-sensitive Western Ghats has observed:
The MPT had submitted that consequent changes in government policy to “discourage” import of coal would reduce coal import which accounts for 90% of the goods traffic to MPT. Shripad Naik as minister was on the side which wanted no reduction of coal import for MPT’s business.
The CEC has also observed that “there are alternate ports like Krishnapatnam on the east coast” with better rail connectivity for the transport of goods to and from the industrial belt of Northern Karnataka whose capacity is not fully utilised.
The North Goa MP is a nice, simple and humble man. But his absolute silence on the important issue of Goa being turned into a coal hub due to MPT’s need to have more business has irked many Goans. Some say that it’s difficult to imagine that the Union Minister of State for Ports, inland waterways, and shipping, is a Goan. As MOS he has enough say in influencing the government’s policymaking.
Those who have been campaigning against the double tracking project have stated Naik, the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Ports and Shipping should be held responsible for not advocating and pushing for the coal business to be done from other ports with existing road connectivity to Karnataka. They also believe that the SC decision based on the prior recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) vindicates the stand that the double tracking projects were only to ensure that the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA), formerly known as the Mormugao Port Trust gets the coal business and that infrastructure would be thus provided for speedy transportation of coal, against the interest of the locals and the State.
Niz Goenkars also wonder if MPT’s profit was a bigger concern than the misery of Goans
“Any Niz Goenkar would have thought about the irreversible damage to our motherland Goa, instead of just being a rubber stamp of the Central Government, especially when the double tracking had absolutely no benefit to the people of Goa. His silence speaks volumes of his commitment to Goa. As a Union Cabinet Minister, he should immediately write to Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Shipping, to shift all projects associated with Sagarmala from Goa to ports in Karnataka and/or Maharashtra,” said Orville Dourado Rodrigues, founder member of Goencho Ekvott (GE).
“Being a Union Minister of State in the present government, the people of Goa need to know Shripad Naik’s stand on the Sagarmala project and 8 concrete jetties that are being constructed all over Goa. Has he opposed the Centre taking away our rights over our own rivers through this contentious project? Can he explain how cruise liners will come to MPT side by side with coal?” said Swapnesh Sherlekar, President of Goencho Swabhiman Party (GSP).
The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was scrapped in the past and so there has been a precedent and the same approach should be followed here in order to save Goa’s biodiversity, livelihoods, and tourism which is the only backbone of the economy. Naik cannot just ignore his responsibility, “said Olencio Simoes, Congress leader and general secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF).
“The youth of Goa expect Union Minister of State for Ports Shripad Naik to take necessary steps to protect the Goan environment and secure the future of Goa, its youth, and the fisherman community,” said Sherwyn Correia, from Vasco and a young anti-coal hub crusader.
They feel that still it is not late to act on the matter so as to obviate the burning issue of coal dust pollution which is posing health hazards to the people.
Says AAP member from Curchorem Gabriel Fernandes, “Coal could be directly shipped to Hospet-Bellary steel plants, but corporates prefer routing it through Mormugao port as it’s the cheapest route. Our government supports crony capitalists unfortunately our very Goan MP and Union Minister of State for Ports Shripad Naik has turned a blind eye to this issue saying that it does not affect North Goa from where he is elected.”
Sandeep Parkar, an environmentalist from Khandepar, Ponda said, “Railway double tracking project was almost to make coal transportation fast and smooth but at the cost of the environment. It was the duty of our Minister of State for Ports Shripad Naik to ask for the transportation of coal through Karnataka.
Then irony and the tragedy is that there is Goan, who is in the same ministry that can reduce or stop coal, not meant for Goa moving through our land. And yet he has not uttered a word for Goa on its issue.
