Emulate Goa's oil spill contingency protocol: Parrikar

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said other coastal states should emulate the Goa government's newly unveiled contingency plan for management of oil spills for efficient containment of such marine disasters.

The plan, unveiled by Manohar Parrikar here, is a formal protocol which will be jointly followed by 30 central and state government agencies in case of an oil spill along Goa's 100 km-odd long coastline.

"Now that Goa has shown the way, other states should not have a problem following this," said Parrikar, who as defence minister, also heads the Indian Coast Guard, a lead marine agency for management of oil spill disasters.

Parrikar, a former Goa chief minister, said that 65 percent of the world's oil is shipped along the maritime route which runs along the south western coast of India and that preparedness in oil spill-related issues was imperative.

The comprehensive plan takes into account marine life and flora, fauna, human settlements, eco-sensitive zones along the coastline and puts in place a protocol for individual as well as collective management of each aspect in case of an oil spill.