MARGAO
Making a fervent plea to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to scrap the plans to make Goa a coal hub, NCP lone MLA Churchill Alemao on Friday demanded that the government scrap double-tracking and coal transportation projects and protect the interest of 18 lakh Goans.
When the media asked him whether he would withdraw support to the government in the event his demands are not met, Churchill shot back and reminded his support to the Pramod Sawant-led government was only issue-based.
He asserted that he would not support the government on the issue of coal transportation and track doubling, but would stand by the people agitating against the projects.
Addressing the media, Churchill asserted that coal transportation will spell doom for the tourism industry.
“Goa is known all over the world as a tourist destination. Will the tourists come to Goa to eat and breathe coal? The government has decided to open the casinos, but I would like to question whether these would survive when Goa becomes a coal hub,” he said.
The Benaulim MLA reiterated his demand that the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka should open their ports to import the coal from Australia. “It is very bad to even think of using Goa as a corridor to transport coal from the MPT to these two states by putting the lives of people at risk,” he added.
Terming coal as a big disease, Churchill said both the Chief Minister and the Centre should think twice before giving the clearance for coal transportation and double-tracking.
“If Adani and Jindal want coal for their industries in Maharashtra and Karnataka, let them import the coal through the ports in their respective states,” he added.
He also posed a question whether the MPT will meet the demand of the mining industry as and when mining operations resume in the state, fearing the import of millions of tonnes of coal will choke the port activity.
