the goan I network
VASCO
The Goa Against coal (GAC) on Saturday evening said the Goa State Pollution Control board (GSPCB) have been using Vascokars as laboratory mice to experiment on pollution caused by coal handling companies operating at the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
Addressing a news conference in the city, GAC convenor Custodio D’Souza criticised the GSPCB for ignoring public sentiments to stop coal activities at MPT at a public hearing.
“The GAC will meet opposition MLAs to raise this issue in the upcoming Assembly as how the Consent To Operate (CTO) to handle coal could be given despite an ongoing case, an invalid environmental clearance and resolutions adopted by over 100 panchayats in Goa to stop coal activities,” said D’Souza.
D’Souza said the Congress party should not allow proceedings of the Assembly session till the CTO given to SWPL is revoked. “When the GAC went to GSPCB, they informed us that permission for the fresh CTO had come from the Centre. If permission starts coming from the Centre, what is the point of electing an MLA if the Centre starts granting permission,” asked D’Souza.
Another GAC member, Sanjay Redkar, complained that Vascokars were being used by GSPCB for experiments on pollution. “We are informed by GSPCB that they granted the CTO because they wanted to study pollution. What is there to study when GSPCB itself has given statement that pollution levels in Vasco have been high?”
“The GSPCB should ideally have written to the MOEF that they cannot grant fresh CTO as there was not valid EC and it was in violations of supreme court guidelines,” said Redkar.
