Team Herald
VASCO: The Mormugao Municipal Council has asked the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to furnish three months of data collected through the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System installed inside as well as outside the Mormugao port, informed MMC Chairperson Deepak Naik. He has said that if the report suggested an increase in the pollution level in Vasco, he and the residents would come onto the streets to stop coal and bauxite transportation through the port town.
Addressing a press conference in Vasco, which was called to highlight the achievements of the MMC under his leadership in the last seven months, Naik said, “Like the people of the port town, even I have serious concerns about pollution in Vasco. That is why the MMC had adopted a resolution to stop coal and bauxite transportation. The decision could not be implemented as the coal handling agencies operating at Mormugao Port assured to initiate stringent measures to ensure that pollution was curtailed.”
He continued, “We have asked the GSPCB to furnish data of three months collected through the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System, and if at all we find any increase in pollution, then we will announce a date to come onto the streets with the citizens to stop coal and bauxite transportation.”
Commenting on the MMC’s achievements under his leadership, Naik said, “When I took over as chairperson, we had to face severe hardships even for disbursing salaries to workers as the treasury was empty. But in the last seven months, we managed to recover over Rs 2.73 crore in outstanding dues. Whatever funds were generated through recovery has been utilized only for disbursement of salary or pending pension.”
