TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: With no companies coming forward to import wood chips and import of coal too not thriving, the Captain of Ports Department is banking on Supreme Court’s verdict for granting relaxation to mining operations, which have been suspended since September 2012.
The CoP revenue has dipped considerably by almost 80 percent for the ongoing fiscal, so far.
CoP, despite its revenue plummeting in the first five months of the current financial year, has projected an earning upto Rs 25 crores for financial year 2013-14, almost double of the last financial year. However, in the absence of business, CoP is struggling to make up the revenue.
Speaking to Herald, Captain James Braganza said that though government has granted permission to import coal and wood chips, there are no takers. He said that coal transportation will kick off after monsoon season but that too not in large scale.
In case of wood chips, he said that so far there are no takers. “One Kolkata based paper industry had shown interest for import of wood. They also made a visit and had assured to get back but so far there is no response from the party,” Braganza said.
“Now all eyes are on Supreme Court hearing. We plead that some relaxation is granted so that partial transportation starts,” he added.
The Port administration revenue earning which were 40 crore for financial year 2011-12, dropped to 12 crore in 2012-13. Major chunk of its revenue came from barges transporting ore. Since a halt in the mining activities in the state, it has been exploring possibilities of initiating coal and wood chip transportation.
According to statistics, CoP collected a revenue of around Rs 1.58 crore in the first four months ending July 31, while for the same period in the financial year 2012-13, the department had collected revenue of Rs 8.85 crore. However, during April-July, last year, iron ore transportation was in full swing.
Government had suggested that the inland waterways could also be used for transportation of vehicles and people through modern navigation facilities and suggested that inland waterways could serve as a cheaper mode of transportation.
