MARGAO
Goyant Kollso Naka on Friday submitted a memorandum to the South Goa District Collector demanding a halt to coal transportation and coal infrastructure projects in Goa, even as it raised the spectre of global warming hanging over the world.
A delegation of the NGO called on Additional District Collector South Agnelo Fernandes and called for a stop to what it termed as the suicidal plan to increase coal transportation through Goa.
The NGO further demanded a halt to all coal infrastructure projects being implemented in Goa and a stop to coal transportation through Goa since it was only for private corporations.
The memorandum pointed out that the entire scientific community and the population of the world are pleading with all the governments to stop burning of fossil fuels if life on this planet must continue to exist.
“Carbon emissions due to the burning of coal are recognized by all, including the governments of the world, as the major contributor to global warming that is now an existential threat to our species. In response to the pressures from people and scientists, India and many other countries have committed to reduce dependency on coal and its emissions in a very big way by 2030,” the memorandum stated, adding that “It is most unfortunate to see that our Government is completely violating its own commitments by not taking necessary steps to reduce dependency on coal”.
In this background, the most alarming and shocking revelation is that there are plans made and being implemented to covertly increase coal handling through Goa multiple times. This is at the behest of private corporations and has no public interest behind it at all, the memorandum stated.
It also said the double-tracking of the Vasco-Dudhsagar railway line is only for increasing coal transportation, as stated in the Sagarmala Master Plan for MPT.
Similarly, the highway expansions for NH-4A and NH-17-B, nationalization of our rivers, illegal sand mining being encouraged by the Government, proposed new jetties and MPT expansion plans are also only for taking the coal handling capacity in Goa from present 12 MTPA to 136 MTPA as revealed by the Sagarmala documents, the NGO said, adding this will not only devastate the highly sensitive ecology and economies of Goa, but will also cause substantial global warming only for private profit.
