GSPCB to give report on pollution due to coal handling at MPT

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday asked the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to submit a report on pollution caused due to handling of coal at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday asked the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to submit a report on pollution caused due to handling of coal at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT). The chief minister's action comes in the wake of protests by various NGOs and opposition parties, claiming that coal handling at the MPT has been causing pollution.

Sawant said that three companies JSW, Adani and Vedanta - have been permitted to handle coal at the MPT. "JSW and Adani are transporting coal outside the state for their plants, while Vedanta, which handles small quantity of coal, consumes it locally," he said.

The chief minister said he has asked the GSPCB submit a report on the level of pollution caused due to handling of coal at the MPT. The report will collect the data on pollution vis-- vis current capacity of coal handling, Sawant said, adding that the state government has already assured that coal handling at the MPT will be reduced by 50 per cent in another year.

People have also objected to the widening of a national highway and double-tracking of the South Western Railway route, claiming that both these projects were envisaged to help coal-handling companies..