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After the midnight protest that was held at Chandor Village of south Goa for almost two days, against the expansion of railway tracks for coal imports in the state, Goa Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral on Tuesday assured capping the coal imports.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is expected to provide 'documentary proof in the days to come for the same, reported The Indian Express. Cabral told the media that Goa would not be a 'coal hub'.
Nearly 10 to 12 million tonnes of coal is imported annually. Cabral assured the number will not increase, and the government will make sure the quantum of coal import does not increase. "At present, nearly 10 to 12 million tonnes of coal is imported annually. This will not increase and the government will make sure the quantum of coal import does not increase," said Cabral.
Over 3,000 men, women and children on Sunday night held protests against the doubling of the railway line to Karnataka. Protestors sat on the same Western Railway tracks, where the work was to begun for railway expansion till dawn, accusing the BJP-led coalition government of turning the state into a coal hub.
The protests are held against infrastructure projects designed to carry coal that would destroy ecological biodiversity. The expansion work is done for the transportation of coal from the Mormugao port to steel plants located in north Karnataka via a protected forest in the Western Ghats.
According to the report, projections of Mormugao Port Trust for the year 2030 states that they want to import nearly 51.6 million tonnes of coal for Adani Group, JSW Group and Vedanta. Most of it will be transported through Goa to other states.
Meanwhile, activists may hold protests on November 9 when tracks are expected to be laid at another village.
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