VASCO
Chaos continued to prevail for the second day of the public hearings at Tilak Maidan in Vasco on the deepening of approach channel and inner basin for cape-sized vessels at the Mormugao port.
As the public hearing on the proposed expansion of Berths 5A and 6A to enhance the handling of coal continued till 11.30 pm on Wednesday, Presiding Officer and Additional Collector Johnson Fernandes had assured to hear the remaining people for one hour on Thursday before taking up the public hearing of the proposed dredging of the channel.
When the hearing began on Thursday, Savio Correia told Fernandes that by adjourning the public hearing on berth expansion to April 27, he had flouted the NGT order which directed the MPT to conduct the public hearing on Thursday.
The agitated crowd asked Fernandes to postpone the hearing on dredging to another date and to continue with the hearing on berth expansion, as they wanted to submit their objections on MPT’s expansion plan to handle more coal.
Fernandes told the agitated crowd that the public hearing on expansion plan would be held on Saturday and said he would go ahead with the hearing on the proposed dredging activity.
But his decision did not go down well with the people. “As you had assured to continue with the expansion hearing on Thursday, we applied for leave to attend the hearing and express our objections to coal handling at the port, as it not only affects Vasco but the entire State,” said Roque Fernandes from Mapusa.
Noticing that people were in no mood to listen to him, Fernandes then told the people that he would listen to their views for one hour and adjourn the expansion hearing for Saturday.
“I will take up the hearing on dredging and those left out will get a chance to be heard on Saturday. However, today’s hearing will be heard till 10 pm,” he added.
Submitting his objection to the expansion plans of MPT, Adv Aries Rodrigues told Fernandes that since MPT is the proponent of all three projects at the port, only MPT officials should be allowed to occupy the dais and other officials from coal handling agencies should vacate.
“These projects by MPT is to bulldoze the environment and beauty of Goa. People have lost faith in the government and MPT, due to which such huge crowd has come to object to the expansion plans of the berths, dredging and other projects of MPT,” said Rodrigues.
Dinesh Dias brought to the notice of Fernandes that the coal handling agencies have declined to pay the green cess to the government and are making the tax payers to suffer due to the pollution.
Dr Jorson Fernandes sought to know who was checking the presence of heavy metals in coal cargo, before landing it at the port, and in coal dust pollution. He also sought to know whether the Goa Pollution Control Board had any mechanism to check the content of heavy metals like mercury, lead cadmium and other metals present in coal cargo and in coal dust pollution, to which the GSPCB and MPT officials failed to answer.
Dr Jorson and Adv Rodrigues warned MPT and the coal handling agencies not to play with the health of the citizens, failing which they will have to face the wrath of the people.
Others who submitted their objections were Sudip Dalvi of Music Warriors Mapusa, Lumina Almeida from Seraulim and Kennedy Aphonso and other locals from Khariwada.
