The alarming regularity, with which Goa State PollutionControl Board’s public hearing on Mormugao Port Trust’s West of Breakwaterproject is getting cancelled on technical grounds, is raising serious doubtsabout whether it is serious to have a public centric debate on Vasco’s healthat all.
On Sunday last, another public hearing on MPT’s ambitiousWest of Breakwater project ended up in a naught, as GSPCB had failed to placecopies of EIA reports in libraries and Municipal / Panchayat for publicinspection under Section 2.4 of EIA notification 2006.
The reason although trivial speaks volumes of the PollutionControl Board’s increasing restlessness and sloppiness in conducting publichearings for MPT in the face of growing criticism that while it has failed tohold public hearings for the much polluting coal berth no. 10 and 11, it ismore keen to hold public hearing for West of Breakwater project.
“We have already submitted our written objections beforeGSPCB and MPT. Since GSPCB had not complied with legal requirement of EIAnotification 2006, GSPCB is to be blamed for delay and not the people,”explains Vascokar United Forum Convener Bharat Kamat.
Kamat and his colleagues have in recent times been leadingthe charge to enforce stringent coal pollution curbing measures on MPT.
Kamat’s fellow campaigner Savio Correia was responsible forpointing out simple yet pertinent pointin the law that the Environmental Impact Assessment report should have been putup for public view.
“Certain legal non-compliance of minor nature shouldn’t leadto adjournment of a meeting. Public consultation hearing should have beencontinued. We had given the EIA report to Mormugao Municipal Council,” said DrMohan Girap, scientist at Goa State pollution Control Board.
“How could a Council that has a public library fail to putthe EIA report for public scrutiny is a matter of investigation. But what isemerging is that there is a sinister plan to bypass the proceedings,” thescientist said.
“With so many adjournments, we have an apprehension that MPTmight approach the Ministry of Environment and Forests or Centre PollutionControl Board to by-pass public consultation hearing,” a worried Advocate T. T.Shreedharan said.
