Goa becoming a coal hub in the immediate future is here for all to see, and one does not require rocket science to ascertain the facts and see the ground realities. With the double tracking of railway lines, dredging the harbour channel to facilitate the entry of Cape size vessels, building/broadening of roads, and constructing new bridges to ease the carriage of coal by road, rail, and sea.
For people unfamiliar with marine terminology, Cape Size vessels are huge bulk carriers which, when fully loaded, have a draft of 16 to 18 metres and a cargo carrying capacity of 150,000MT to 200,000MT DWT, which the present MPA port channel cannot facilitate, hence the dredging. The reason for dredging given is to facilitate the entry of cruise liners, which is a blatant lie as passenger ships do not require deep drafts; otherwise, how come cruise ships are navigating the channel at present?
Cape Size vessels are called so as their drafts and size do not allow them to use the Suez and Panama canals, so they have to take a longer detour rounding the Cape of Good Hope in Africa or Cape Horn in South America. The vessels presently coming to Goa may be bringing the coal from Indonesia and Australia, but Richards Bay and Mozambique in Africa, Colombia and Venezuela in South America, besides some European countries, could also be future markets for coal import. This will add to the miseries of Goans who have suffered enough from this coal pollution, and instead of reducing/stopping it, they are increasing it even after strong protests by the public.
