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Assuring to raise the issue in the next assembly session, Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida has questioned the role of agencies over the safety and fitness of special tankers transporting hazardous liquids through city limits.
“Such tankers are designed in such a way to eliminate rupture and leakage of hazardous cargo. That a tanker could leak such vast amounts of ammonia after merely toppling by the roadside was an eye opener to us all. Either the tanker was substandard or authorities have not checked it properly for safety and fitness,” Almeida told The Goan.
“After this mishap, authorities must immediately check all such tankers. The disaster management should also be better prepared to handle such situations,” said Almeida.
Meanwhile, Mormugao Municipal Council Chairperson Deepak Naik has informed reporters that the ZACL should shift their tanks to the area in Sancoale.
“It’s time they shift out of Vasco to their own tanking terminal at Sancoale. We cannot afford to put so many lives at risk. We will take this up at the next council meeting and ensure that the storage and transportation of ammonia is shifted out of Vasco,” said Naik.
In a related development, the NGO ‘Niz Goenkar Revolutionary Front’ filed a complaint with Goa State Pollution Control Board claiming that the transportation of ammonia by tankers had endangered the lives of people in Chicalim and surrounding areas.
“A full enquiry is needed into the negligence in handling of this deadly chemical in an irresponsible manner. We have demanded and investigation and criminal charges against those responsible for the incident,” said Suresh Barve of Niz Goenkar Revolutionary Front.
