PANJIM: In a setback to infrastructure giant JSW owned South West Port Limited (SWPL) and Adani Mormugao Port Terminal Pvt Ltd, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has declined to reinstate their original Consent to Operate, for handling increased coal capacity at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) pending submission of final source apportionment study report by IIT Mumbai.
GSPCB had in June 2019 granted fresh consent to JSW with production limit restricted to four lakh (tonnes) per month as against 55 lakh (tonnes) annually and also imposed restrictions on Adani’s production capacity limit to four lakh (tonnes) per month, which was otherwise 52 lakhs yearly.
SWPL had approached the Board with a fresh application for grant of Consent to Operate for handling cargo of coal (5.5 million metric tonnes MMT), limestone (1.0MMT), steel (1.0MMT) at berth No 56A and 6A.
As far as Adani is concerned, it had sought amendment in the consent for handling of coal to 5.2 MMT, which had been reduced to 3.9 MMT for berth No 7.
During its meeting last month, the Board declined to reinstate the original Consent to Operate quantity of 5.5 million tonnes per year coal by SWPL and 5.2 million tonnes per year by Adani, stating that the final report by IIT Mumbai, is yet to be submitted.
“The final report is not submitted by IIT, Mumbai and hence no amendment to be made in the Consent to Operate at present,” the minutes of the meeting reads.
The Board has prosecuted the SWPL facility for excess coal handling in 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16. The Board also declined to grant consent to handle coal at MPT’s Mooring Dophin 1, 2 and 3.
The source apportionment study conducted by IIT Mumbai in its preliminary report concluded that coal handling at MPT is not the major contributor to pollution. The report has observed possible mixture of other local sources leading to pollution.
