MARGAO
Asserting that the double tracking through the Western Ghats of Goa and Karnataka will never be granted permissions considering the stringent conditions, impossible justifications and complicated studies laid down in the Supreme Court order dated May 9, 2022, the stop-work order served by the People of Goa has asserted that the Supreme Court in its order has stated that the imported coal required in Northern Karnataka, if any, should be transported from Krishnapatnam Port.
Stating that the South Western Railways and the Raik Vikas Nigam Ltd have admitted that almost all the traffic from Mormugao to Hospet is for coal transportation, the order stated that over 80 per cent of the rakes from Hospet to Mormugao run empty causing huge losses to the nation.
“Coal is being transported from Mormugao by private corporations, purely for private profit, with no public or national interest at all. The the coal being imported is sought to be burnt in steel plants in poor villages in Northern Karnataka to produce steel from the high-grade iron ore found in the Hospet-Bellary belt, polluting our country, robbing our children’s finite wealth and sending it to foreign nations for their consumption, totally against public interest, national interests and global interests,” the stop-work order stated.
It further stated that the People of Goa are against the transportation of coal through the State and the construction of infrastructure for this transportation of coal, like the Hospet-Vasco double tracking project of SWR. “The country’s INDC and the survival of our children requires reduction of coal consumption.”
“The Railways has stated that the work in the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary includes 23 tunnels and 81 bridges which will take 5-10 years. No hydrogeological studies, including impact on the prestigious Dudhsagar Waterfalls, around which blasting and tunnel construction will be required, have been carried out,” the order stated.
Saying the balance work on the Kulem-Vasco stretch will take only six months to one year, the people contended that it will cause maximum, permanent destruction of environment, economies and society, especially the people living close to the tracks and in the densely populated areas around.
“There is no benefit to anyone from carrying out doubling in the stretch from Kulem to Vasco unless the work within the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary is first completed, since the extreme terrain of the 26 km stretch within the sanctuary is the bottleneck for this linear project. The basic principles of construction project management requires works which are not on the critical path, such as the Kulem-Vasco section in the present instance, not to be carried out,” the order stated.
Claiming complete inaction of the government, despite the promises and facts stated above, indicate that the government of Goa is no longer functional, necessitating the People of Goa to respond adequately to uphold justice and peace and to prevent the complete collapse of governance, the stop-work order stated: “The People of Goa, in exercise of the sovereignty of the people under our Constitution, hereby directs you to immediately stop all construction activities related to the double tracking of the SWR line between Kulem and Vasco, until the works in the bottleneck section of this linear project within Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary that will take 5-10 years, if ever permitted, are reaching close to completion.”
