Team Herald
VASCO: Various stakeholders from Vasco have written to the Union ministers and government agencies regarding the importance of the container line feeder services at Mormugao Port Trust, which is suppose to discontinue from August 3, 2021.
Goa First NGO demanded Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to intervene in the matter and to promote green cargo in MPT.
“We request the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter and to work in co-ordinance with the MPT and to promote such green cargo at greater extend as Goa is the pharmaceutical hub of India and lot of pharmaceutical products can be exported and imported from MPT, rather than sending it to via JNPT port for any other port in India,” said Parshuram Sonurlekar, president of Goa First.
Sonurlekar, further said that they are shocked to know about the discontinuation of container service due to the hike in Port tariff rates. He said that there has been a hue and cry from people of Mormugao taluka and overall Goa on how to convert Goa into a green Port and stop all hazard hazardous cargo such as bauxite, coal and lime stones at MPT, which are major polluting cargo in Port.
“The container cargo export and import at MPT supports around 10,000 to 15,000 livelihoods across Goa and this is the cleanest cargo the port handles”, he added.
“The container exports have been supporting the port in all parameters such as revenue, employment for the Port and overall it has boosted the Goan economy. According to the available information, the Port have stopped importing essential items such as maize, sugar wheat since 2014 including the industrial raw material such as Sulphuric acid, Dia, Ammonia, Phosphate, Urea since the commissioning of dedicated coal berth at 5, 6 and 7″, he said.
The NGO welcomed the government’s decision of forming a mining corporation but the export of mining ore is a big question as the MPT Mechanical Ore Handling Plant (MOHP) is permanently dismantled. If mining is resumed, MPT will find it difficult to export ore due to non-availability of machinery, which has been dismantled.
The new opening for Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) container facility indicates all the cargo to be exported from Goa to JNPT port via Konkan railway route.
Sonurlekar raised concern that if the cargo moves out of Goa there would be no revenue to pay salaries and to pay pension and the need to handle more coal to support our revenue.
Chandrakant K Gawas, Chairman of Logistics Committee recently revealed that a delegation led by him along with Dhirendra Thakker Co-Chairman, and another member requested newly appointed co-chairperson, Mormugao Port Trust Rajiv Jalota not to discontinue the container line feeder services at Mormugao Port Trust as it would directly affect 15000 families in the State . They even mentioned that the Customs Department in Goa will lose a major portion of their revenue arising from custom duty on imports which is annually more than Rs 1300 crore.
“Jalota also assured that he will study the matter and give consideration to the representation factoring dependents”, Gawas said.
“A copy of the representation was also forwarded to Shripad Y Naik, Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Govt. of India. Goa Customs Brokers Association echoed the same sentiment”, he added.
