PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant flew to Delhi on Sunday ostensibly for a pre-scheduled BJP meet but is expected to discuss Goa's politics particularly in the context of the swelling agitation against infra projects suspected to be contributing to a coal transportation corridor between MPT and North Karnataka.
A top cabinet source told The Goan that Sawant may convince the Centre to issue some sort of clarifying letter to the effect that the coal volumes handled at MPT will be locked at the current upper limit of 15 million tonnes a year.
Suspicion that the projects contribute to a coal corridor emanate from an internal document of the Union Shipping Ministry renamed on Sunday as Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways related to the 'Sagarmala' project.
The document mentions plans to raise coal handling at MPT to 51 million tonnes annually over the next five years. by 2025.
The three Centre-sponsored projects -- doubling of the South Western railway line, four-laning a national highway and laying of 400KV inter-State power lines - - all cutting through protected forests have fuelled a widespread agitation in the State spearheaded by greens, students and civil society.
The agitation highlights that the projects will inflict irreperable damage to two of Goa's thickly forested areas - Mollem National Park and the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary.
The stir has also invigorated an otherwise splintered and lacklustre political Opposition after a hugely successful rail-roko midnight agitation on the tracks at Chandor prompted the Indian Railways to indefinitely put off execution of track doubling work.
The stir also prompted the ruling BJP State unit's 'core committee' to caution Sawant to go slow on the projects as people in the agitational mode against the government was impacting the party's image.
In the saddle for 20 months now, Sawant may engage with the party's Central leadership, including national president JP Nadda, on political matters in Goa.
With BJP State president Sadanand Tanavade already announcing that Sawant will lead the party's campaign at the next assembly elections due in about 16-17 months, the chief minister is expected to get the High Command's okay for a free hand to possibly effect a cabinet shake up - either a reshuffle of portfolios or replacing one or two ministers.
