the goan I network
VASCO/PANAJI
The Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), which is at the center of a raging storm over deteriorating air quality in Port town on account of coal handling operations, has now petitioned the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) for a “single consent for the entire port to handle different cargo without stipulating any berth-wise or commodity-wise limit”, ostensibly to ease the regulatory procedures surrounding the port.
Details on MPT’s demand for a single Consent To Operate (CTO) for all berths and different commodities have been revealed in MPT’s letter to the GSPCB, which were obtained as part of a Right to Information petition by Vasco-based social activist Savio Correia.
In a letter to the GSPCB, the MPT Chief Engineer L A Mathew claimed that “Mormugao Port is the smallest major port in the country with the least number of berths and lowest cargo compared to all other major ports, but the requirement of compliances with regard to clearances to operate is the most stringent in Goa to the extent that day-to-day port operations are severely affected, adversely affecting EXIM trade.”
Justifying the need for a single CTO, the MPT letter states, “This is important because cargo mix and cargo demand constantly undergoes change and the port needs to remain flexible to carry out its operations.”
“The port will be responsible for taking up any environment mitigation measures as stipulated by GSPCB. It is assured that coal/coke will be handled only at Berths 6 & 7 and if permission is granted at Mooring Dolphins by deploying a barge mounted mist cannon,” the MPT said in its letter.
In the letter, Mathew had made reference to a recent meeting with the GSPCB, where detailed discussions were held on a proposal to issue a single CTO for all berths in line with procedures followed by the State pollution boards of Odisha, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
MPT has claimed that many States issue a single clearance to operate for the entire port with a validity of five years and that “in some States like Kerala, there is no requirement of CTOs for port operations since it has been recognized that a port is a service sector and not involved in manufacturing.”
The MPT had earlier discussed the matter with officials of the GSPCB, who suggested that the MPT get the Ministry of Shipping to write to the Ministry of Environment and Forests & Climate Change to notify a uniform policy for operations at the port so that all States could follow the same.
Instead, the MPT, in its letter has said such a move may not yield any result because “no other ports have been facing issues with the clearances to operate.”
“This is a decision to be taken by GSPCB to bring the procedure in line with other States,” MPT has said.
MPT asked to contact
Central Pollution Board
PANAJI: An official from the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has said the MPT has been asked to contact the Central Pollution Control Board regarding its request for a single Consent to Operate (CTO).
“It is true that many ports in the country have a single CTO, but since there have been many controversies regarding cargo activities in the past, we have suggested that they approach the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB),” said the GSPCB official. “But since they have approached us and they have sent us a formal request, the matter will be placed before the next board meeting,” the official added.
