Minister questions open handling of coal at Goa port

Open handling of coal at Goa's Mormugao Port Trust should be reviewed because of the pollution it causes, said Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai in Friday.

Emerging from a meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at the state Secretariat, Sardesai of the Goa Forward party, a partner of the ruling alliance, said that the issue of coal pollution was discussed at the meet.

"We cannot support pollution anywhere. Anyone doing it should be punished in the severest way. We have to hit the root of issue, which is open handling of coal," he told reporters.

Sardesai's comments coincide with the weeklong environmental public hearings at the port facility in Vasco, 40 km from Panaji, for expansion of the coal handling berths 8 and 9 operated by Adani Ports and the JSW's South West Port Ltd - a move being opposed by environmentalists.

The proposed redevelopment of the coal handling facility is expected to increase import of coal, which is currently 12 million tons to 51 million tons by 2030.

The imported coal is expected to help fuel the steel industry in north Karnataka.

--IANS

maya/vd