PANAJI: The Goa State Pollution Control Board, which met on Wednesday, has given the companies handling coal at Mormugao Port and transporting it inland six months to ensure that the coal handling operations are completely "indoor".
The Board, which met under the chairmanship of Environment Secretary Daulat Hawaldar, had earlier issued a show cause notice to both Mormugao Port Trust as well as the South West Port Ltd, for excessive handling of coal at the port as well as handling coal at the mooring dolphin in violation of the terms and conditions of the environmental clearances granted to them.
Sources in the meeting informed that the companies have been directed to ensure that the coal unloading at the Mormugao Port is done indoors under a coal handling dome while the transportation is also done in sealed wagons.
Coal handling has been a sensitive issue in Goa with residents of the port city and those along the route complaining that the coal handling was sullying the air quality leading to respiratory and other problems for the residents.
A sustained campaign has forced the Chief Minister and the State administration to assure that there will be action initiated to bring the levels of pollution down.
The Goa State Pollution Control Board in another decision has decided to withdraw the show cause notices it had issued to 12 mines operating in the Sonshi cluster.
The Board's decision comes even as the six of the twelve mines will not see their consent to operate renewed as their environmental clearances have been granted under the 1994 Environmental Clearance notification and not the 2006 notification.
The other six mines have sought that their consent to operate be renewed and the Goa State Pollution Control Board, which is in receipt of their applications has referred them to legal opinion of the Board's legal team.
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CURBING POLLUTION
* Companies directed to ensure coal unloading at MPT is done indoors under a coal handling dome * Also, directions issued to them that coal is transported in sealed wagons
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SHOW CAUSE WITHDRAWN
The Goa State Pollution Control Board in another decision has decided to withdraw the show cause notices it had issued to 12 mines operating in the Sonshi cluster
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