Anti-coal war bugle echoes at Lohia Maidan

Anti-coal activists facing trial in the Chandor and Arossim anti-coal agitation addressing the media at the historic Lohia Maidan, Margao.

MARGAO
Anti-coal activists under the banner of Goyant Kollso Naka on Thursday sounded the war bugle against coal, giving a clarion call to the people of Goa, including government servants, policemen and their families, to join the agitation to stop the government from converting Goa into a coal hub.

The activists warned the Pramod Sawant government to immediately put a halt to all plans to make Goa into a coal hub, saying that the people of Goa will uproot the present government if it does not listen to the voice of the people of Goa against coal and pollution.

The anti-coal activists, all accused by the government in the Chandor and Arossim anti-coal agitation, took the historic Lohia Maidan, Margao, to convey the message to the government to stop coal or face the wrath of the people of Goa. “When the very government elected by the people works against them, the only option left with the people is to assert that people’s power is supreme. We are 100 per cent sure this will soon come true in Goa,” thundered Goyant Kollso Naka co-convenor Abhijit Prabhudesai.

Putting up a united façade in their resolve to stop the government from pursuing coal in the State, activists including Abhijit Prabhudesai, South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, and Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas said that the time has come for the people to rise and stop the government’s coal push.

Addressing the media, Abhijit Prabhudesai condemned the government for repeatedly lying to the people, while secretly pursuing plans to make Goa a coal hub. “The government has blatantly lied to the people that it will not allow coal transportation through Goa to be increased. Instead, it is misusing its powers to create infrastructure purely for coal transportation,” he said.

Citing what he termed as multiple and simultaneous assaults by the government on Goa, only for coal transportation, Prabhudesai said the Sagarmala project shows that transportation of over 130 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of coal is planned through Goa, yet Goa government openly supports Sagarmala in every public statement.

“Secondly, Goa government has supported the doubling of capacity of Jindal’s berths at Mormugao Port to 15 MTPA by allowing grant of an EC and all other permissions. Thirdly, in July 2025, an EC was granted for the dredging of the Vasco Bay to allow cape size vessels to enter, only to increase coal transportation. Fourthly, despite being provided proof that Mhadei diversion is not for farmers or residents of Karnataka, but for steel industries planned around Hospet-Bellari in Malaprabha River Basin. The Goa government is not willing to submit this very relevant fact to the Tribunal or the Union government,” he said.

That’s not all. He said the repairs of the existing Borim Bridge with a design life of 20 years were sanctioned Rs 20 crore in 2023-24, yet the government is not carrying the repairs, thereby placing lives of commuters at grave risk, only to push the construction of a new bridge for the coal transportation. “The Supreme Court has clearly asked for coal to be transported to Karnataka from Krishnapatnam Port instead of Goa, yet Goa government is pushing the approvals for the double tracking of railways across Western Ghats, and all other coal expansion projects. The government is also aggressively pushing a new jetty at Xelvona, which can be only for coal, and is also pushing for expansion of roads at Panchwadi and Shiroda for coal transportation using Zuari River,” he added.

“It is abundantly clear that the coal transportation through Goa is only for steel industries which will export clean, shining steel to Western countries, while Goa will be irreversibly destroyed. The endeavours of the government are therefore against National interest and must be prevented by the people at any cost. In order to save our future in the face of the betrayal by our government, people of Goa must unitedly rise to reclaim people’s power and drive coal transportation out of our highly sensitive, Mankulem Goem,” he appealed.

‘Battle for Goa’: MP, MLA warn of pollution, destruction from projects

MARGAO: Saying the fight against coal is a battle to protect the future generation from pollution and destruction, South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes gave a call to all NGOs, civil society groups and the people in Goa to come together in the interest of Goa and its future.

Aam Aadmi Party Benaulim MLA Captain Venzy Viegas also urged the people of Goa to prepare for a battle to force the government to stop pursuing coal.

“This is the battle for Goa or we will be questioned by the future generation what we had done to protect Goa from coal and pollution,” the South Goa MP said.

Disputing the claims made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that the track doubling project is for passenger movement and tourism, Viriato said the Centrally Empowered Committee set up by the Supreme Court had come out clear saying the track doubling project is economically unviable and ecologically damaging for Goa.

MLA Venzy said the government has drawn up plans to transport 136 million tonnes of coal from the MPA through various modes via trains, roads and rivers, saying this will have a severe impact on the people of Goa, including the people who have voted BJP MLAs Krishna Salkar and Sankalp Amonkar.

“Coal transportation will not only affect health of people, but will adversely affect tourism. Let us all come together in one voice that we do not want coal in Goa,” he asserted.

Activists who addressed the media includes Vikas Bhagat, Freddy Travasso, Royla Fernandes, Sabita Mascarenhas, Sandesh Talekar, besides John Coutinho and Creson Antao, who are all facing trial before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Margao in the anti-coal agitation.

CJM summons IO for next hearing as police seek reinvestigation

MARGAO: The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Margao has called the investigating officer in the 2020 Chandor anti-coal protest case to appear before the Court at the next date of hearing.

The CJM’s direction assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the Maina-Curtorim police in-charge, PI Arun Desai had filed an application before the Court earlier this year seeking Court’s permission for further investigations in the Chandor protest case.

When the case filed against the anti-coal activists came up for hearing before the CJM, Margao on Thursday morning, the Judge asked the Investigating Officer to remain present in the Court at the next date of hearing.

The police had prayed for permission to carry out fresh investigation, claiming that vital evidence remained uncollected. The police specifically cited the absence of station diary extracts documenting the deployment of police personnel from the concerned stations for bandobast duty. According to their plea, these extracts are crucial to establish the actual presence of the complainant and witnesses at the time of the alleged incident.