Cong to meet MPT on coal pollution, to stage rally on Feb 21

THE GOAN NETWORK
VASCO: A Congress delegation will meet the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) chairman on Monday to discuss growing concerns on coal pollution and will also stage a silent rally in Vasco on February 21 on the day when GSPCB will decide on the consent to South West Port limited (SWPL).
The delegation will be led by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar, Opposition Leader Chandrakant Kavlekar, GPCC Mahila President Pratima Coutinho and former chief minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat.
Addressing a news conference, GPCC Vice President Sankalp Amonkar welcomed the Goa State Pollution Control Board's (GSPCB) decision to stop coal handling at MPT till February 21, but feared that GSPCB under pressure could resume coal handling operations.
Demanding a complete halt on coal operations in MPT, Amonkar said: “We have seen in the past that coal operations have been halted for a short time and resumed again by granting conditional Consent to Operate (CTO). Till date, there has been no decision on issue where excess coal was handled by a unit in MPT.”
"We demand that coal operations be halted forever and we have decided that a GPCC delegation will meet MPT Chairman on Monday to discuss coal pollution. We fear that GSPCB may grant SWPL consent and hence we will also stage a protest rally and a march of citizens from all four constituencies of Mormugao Taluka along with different NGOs, activists and other anti-coal groups so as to build pressure on GSPCB so as to take strict action on both coal handling units at MPT," said Amonkar.