DABOLIM, VELSAO, CANSAULIM: Herald walked the talk or should we say, walked the tracks to see for itself that the basic issue of coal spillage, during transportation, is still an everyday reality, that stares us in the face.
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Team Herald walked along portions of the tracks from the Vasco railway station till Dabolim railway station and from Velsao to Cansaulim railway station to see that the spillage of coal along the tracks is very high. It was also noticed that availability of coal cubes along the tracks is rampant.
“During several gram sabhas in past we have raised the issue of spillage of coal on tracks leading to pollution in the village but the menace continues. I feel the port authorities are least bothered about pollution and hence are not covering the coal cargo wagons properly with tarpaulin due to which spillage takes place,” said Evans Fernandes, resident of Cansaulim.
At certain stretches of tracks between Vasco and Dabolim railway station there was a huge quantity of fine coal dust particles and cube size coal spilled along the tracks especially near the tracks opposite Hotel Tania in Vasco.
Similarly while walking along the tracks from Velsao to Cansaulim, a huge amount of coal cubes could be seen along the tracks. Inquires with some Velsao locals revealed that many local youth do collect this spilled coal from the tracks for personal use, otherwise the amount of coal seen on the tracks would have been very high.
“My house is located on one side of the tracks and to catch a bus from New Vaddem we mostly use the railway tracks as shortcut. Earlier the spillage of coal along the railway tracks was less but now it has increased. We don’t purchase coal as whenever we require coal for personal use we collect it from the tracks,” said Hari Kadam, a resident of Vitthal Rakhumai Temple Shantinagar Vasco.
