GAC slams GF for U-turn on river nationalisation, coal issue – Oherald

Says party has displayed ignorance & has exposed its collusion with Jindal, Adani and Vedanta in their plans to make Goa a coal hub

Team Herald

VASCO: Goa Against Coal(GAC) convenor Custodio D'Souza slammed Goa Forward for its U-turn on nationalisation of rivers, and for its false and misleading public statements endorsing multi-fold increase in coal handling at Vasco and the rest of Goa.

Addressing reporters in Vasco on Monday, D'Souza said, "Goa Forward has displayed its ignorance regarding the policies of the country, how electricity is generated in the country or why coal is considered dirty cargo by the Government itself, and has also exposed its collusion with Jindal, Adani and Vedanta in their devious plans to make Goa a coal hub" he said

"As stated in the Report of the Working Group for the Port Sector for the 12th Five Year Plan 2012-17, coal is the dirtiest cargo and is responsible for a large number of deaths and large-scale diseases. The report recommends that all dirty and hazardous operations have to be taken away from port cities. The said Report envisages Ports at or near cities to be used for local communities, tourism, recreation and green cargo, and also states that MPT is best suited for cruise tourism. Goa Forward has exposed its gross ignorance about how electricity is generated in the country, and the policy of the Ministry of Coal not to use imported coal for power generation. The statement of Goa Forward has cleverly tried to protect the greedy, profit-seeking corporations by implying that this coal is for power generation for Goa, a big lie. As verified during the Public Hearings and from their EIA studies, there is no public interest behind these coal imports through Goa (better facilities exist on the East Coast), only to save freight charges for three corporations! By ignoring the destruction of fisheries, rivers, villages and the Western Ghats, Goa Forward has shown total disregard for our future generations, whose only wealth is the environment we leave behind," he said.

He further added that, "The five rivers and one canal which are proposed to be dredged, are almost 410 km in length and are the lifeline of scores of villages and lakhs of people. These rivers are common lands of the residents of these villages having fundamental and inalienable rights over the entire rivers. If these rivers are diverted for the use of rich corporations by declaring them nationalised, we will have a socio-economic disaster of unprecedented scale. If these rivers are dredged, it will completely destroy the ecology of our rivers, as several million lakhs cubic metres of silt will be dredged annually to maintain the draft in the navigational channel across 410 km rivers of Goa. All existing river bunds will collapse and our villages will be inundated. There will be no fish in Goan waters at all, if this coal project is not stopped. Even if the lives of fisher folk did not matter, this coal will not spare other Goans either air pollution across the State, displacement and pollution along coal corridors (both rail and road), and the future threat of rising sea levels and failed monsoons due to climate change will get us all, and others across the globe unless we stop coal".

Goa Against Coal further demanded that in accordance with their international commitments, with due regard for the lives and livelihoods of Goans and humanity at large, keeping in mind their fundamental duty towards the environment and the future generations, and in compliance with the policies and laws of the land, all projects for dredging (estuaries, bays, sea or rivers), expansion of dirty cargo/ hazardous cargo through Goa, nationalization of the common land and rivers and related road and rail connectivity projects be stopped immediately. "We also demand that MPT be used for infrastructure for local fishing and city communities, for cruise tourism and for green cargo only," GAC concluded.

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GAC slams GF for U-turn on river nationalisation, coal issue - Oherald