TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Captain of Ports department is studying the prospects of importing coal through the Panjim Port with efforts on to look for importers who could use identified jetties within the State for this purpose.
The new plan was suggested by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Centenary celebrations of CoP, in the wake of suspension of production and exports of iron ore through the port and a virtual fall in port revenue, during the last three months.
Captain of Ports James Braganza said: “We are looking at the logistics of using a few jetties that could facilitate the anchorage of barges in case we do get a good response from coal importers.”
So far contact between the Ports administration and prospective clientele, of coal importers, has begun and a clearer picture would be available later in the month.
“The Panjim port hardly handles any coal cargo except for what comes in for a pig iron plan at Amona,” Braganza informed.
While the bulk of coal is handled by the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), the Ports Administration plans to step in and believes that it would also help to a great extent in reducing the coal dust pollution that presently haunts Vasco city.
“In case we do establish our plan it would be advantageous from the environment point of view as much of the coal handling would be at the outer anchorage and thereafter at certain jetties which would be far and would not cause any pollution,” he said.
This would also help bring in revenue and gets business going for barges and truckers to some extent.
Braganza said that the ports administration is exploring options on how to generate revenue in the wake of suspension of mining operations.
