Team Herald
PANJIM: Mormugao Port (MPT), which is currently facing criminal proceedings for excess coal traffic, has handled over 64.10 million tonnes of coal/coke in the seven years from 2010-11 to 2016-17.
As per MPT’s submission before Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), data which is available with Herald, the port handled 64.107 million tonnes of coal during this period. For the current year, till November 2017, it has handled around six million tonnes of coke.
Data reveals that coal handling at MPT saw a compatible rise over the years. From 6.93 million tonnes in 2010-11, it almost doubled in seven years to 12.75 million tonnes in 2016-17.
For the year 2011-12, coal handled was 7.20 million tonnes, in 2012-13 it went up to 7.80 million tonnes, in 2013-14 it stood at 7.86 million tonnes, in 2014-15 it was 9.27 million tonnes and in 2015-16 it jumped to 12.26 million tonnes. The total permissible limit was 10 million tonnes for all kind of cargo that also included iron ore, steel, limestone, etc apart from coal.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in a meeting held on Thursday, directed MPT to submit data of total coal handling by it since 2010.
The handling of coal/coke at MPT at Berth numbers 10 and 11 commenced in 1994-95 with initial handling of 0.37 million tonnes.
South West Port Ltd (SWPL), a company owned by the Infrastructure giant JSW, the leading coal handling contractor at MPT, commenced coal handling operations at Berth numbers 5A and 6A in 2003-2004 with initial permission for 1.476 million tonnes. The company handled 10.11 million tonnes of coal in 2016-17. From 2003-04 MPT has handled 95.56 million tonnes of coal, since operation by SWPL began.
On the other hand, Adani Mormugao Port Terminal Ltd began operations in 2013-14 and handled 0.015 million tonnes of coal that year. The quantity went up to 1.95 million tonnes in the last financial year 2016-17.
MPT commenced handling iron ore at the mooring dolphin from 2003 and subsequent to the ban imposed on mining operations, MPT commenced handling coal at the mooring dolphin in 2012-13 for Vedanta. MPT has handled 0.38 million tonnes of coal in 2016-17.
