Parrikar allays Oppn's fear that Goa being turned into a 'coal

Amid concerns expressed by some NGOs and the opposition parties that Goa would be turned into a "coal hub", Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today ruled out the possibility saying that there is no demand for the commodity in the state.
He was responding to the allegations levelled by the members of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly today, saying that the state is being converted into a coal hub.
"Coal is transported to the places where there is a need for it," the chief minister told the House, adding that this raw material is required either for power generation or steel manufacturing units.

"However, there is no issue of having both the facilities in Goa," Parrikar claimed.
He also informed that the state had rejected a proposal to set up a coal-based power plant in 2002.
According to him, the steel manufacturing plants are not possible to be set up in Goa as the existing iron ore in the state is of low quality.
"There is no issue of coal transport in the state," the chief minister said and claimed that the state has already made it clear coal handling would not be allowed in the state.