Coal handling firm denied consent to operate by Goa pollution

The coal handling activity of South West Port Limited at Mormugao Port faced a fresh hurdle after the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) refused to give it the "Consent to Operate" in the absence of a valid environmental clearance, officials said.

The firm, a venture of the JSW group, had applied to the GSPCB for consent to operate under the Air and Water Pollution (Control) Act for its berths 5A and 6A at MPT, some 40 kilometres from here.

GSPCB chairman Ganesh Shetgaonkar told reporters today that the consent was refused as the environmental clearance given to the company in 2001 to operate at MPT was valid only for five years.

After this, Shetgaonkar said, the firm needed to apply for fresh permissions from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The company had earlier faced action from the GSPCB in January this year after it handled coal in excess of stipulated limits.

In January, the GSPCB had revoked the company's consent to operate after it had handled 10.112 million tonnes of coal/coke during the fiscal 2016-17 though it was permitted to handle only 4.125 million tonnes, he said.