MARGAO: As controversy rages over Mormugao Port Trust’s (MPT) masterplan that has envisaged the port to be developed as a coal/coke import hub, the latest set of official documents pertaining to the Sagarmala projects proposed in Goa has only accentuated the coal conundrum.

If MPT, in an October 13 letter to the ministry of shipping, proposed that four projects under the port’s masterplan—two of which are among the Sagarmala projects—be dropped, an RTI reply of November 24 by the shipping ministry reveals that none of the projects proposed to be dropped by MPT figure in the list of projects already dropped by the Centre from the Sagarmala programme.
What’s significant is that while three of the four projects proposed to be dropped by MPT are directly related to coal transportation through railway, the ones dropped by the ministry of shipping under Sagarmala have no co-relation with coal transportation or double-tracking.
The shipping ministry’s reply comes nearly a fortnight after chief minister Pramod Sawant met shipping minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi and said the Centre has assured him that Goa would not be turned into a coal hub and MPT would diversify into other sectors.
Environment minister Nilesh Cabral also tried to put up a brave front by saying the chief minister would soon get a letter from the Centre that “coal will not be handled at MPT”.
While Sawant and Cabral brazened it out, the Centre showed no inclination of putting any curbs on coal transportation or increasing the coal handling capacity.
In a clear deviation from what the state government has been claiming, the shipping ministry has said the three projects that are listed to be dropped from Sagarmala are: Rail flyover between Majorda and Margao stations estimated to cost Rs 1,000 crore; development of coastal cargo and general cargo berth at a cost of Rs 203 crore; and development of Petroleum Oil and Lubricants (POL) berth at Mormugao for Rs 156 crore.
MPT, on its part, had suggested dropping four projects from the masterplan: Deepening of approach channel to facilitate berthing of capesize vessels, development of two berths with connecting flyover at Vasco bay, outer harbour of iron ore and coal terminal and multipurpose terminal at Betul. The first two projects, estimated to cost Rs 194 crore and Rs 855 crore, respectively, had been included under the Sagarmala programme.
The apparent contradiction between MPT’s missive to ministry of shipping, and the latter’s reply has led to a demand for the government to clear the air over the issues.
“This appears to be another attempt,” said lawyer Savio Correia, “to confuse Goans after being unsuccessful in convincing them. All three agencies, the shipping ministry, MPT and the state government must together come clean on the matter. As it is, there is a tremendous trust deficit between the political class and the public. Such things will only widen the gap.”
What’s ironic, said Corriea, is that the three dropped projects are non-polluting ones, while the coal capacity enhancement proposals under Sagarmala are still live in the list.
Moreover, denials by the state government notwithstanding with regards to co-relation between coal transportation and double-tracking, MPT in its proposal to the ministry of shipping has clearly laid bare the fact that the at least two of the four projects to be dropped from its masterplan were linked to double-tracking of the South Western Railway route.
Apart from citing high capital cost, drop in iron cargo and other factors as the reasons for dropping the “deepening of approach channel” project, MPT has clearly stated that “non-completion of SWR doubling” has rendered the project non-viable.
As for the “outer harbour for iron ore and coal terminal” project, MPT’s proposal clearly acknowledges the project’s “dependency on railway doubling” and cites its “much delayed” status as a reason for proposing it to be dropped.
Under the masterplan report for Goa, MPT is envisaged as a coal/coke import hub with a projected capacity of 51 MTPA (million tonne per annum) by 2035 to cater to existing and proposed steel plants in and around Karnataka’s hinterlands.
The Sagarmala project envisages various infrastructural projects to evacuate this 51 MTPA coal/coke from MPT and enable a quick turnaround for the ships. Hence, it has proposed the double-tracking of Hospet-Vasco rail line, four-laning of NH-4 from Panaji to Belgaum and missing link of NH-17B connecting Verna and Ponda. In addition, several jetties are proposed along Goa’s rivers (national waterways) essentially for coal transportation.
As reported by TOI earlier, the masterplan for Momugao port prepared in 2016 has laid much emphasis on completion of the double line railway track with last mile connectivity by 2019 “in order to improve the port’s evacuation capacity”.
“Doubling of the line has to be completed with last mile connectivity by 2019 in order to ensure the port’s evacuation capacity is in line with terminal capacity and demand in the hinterland. This is the most important initiative and lifeline for the port operations in the future. Local government has to be pressurised from the Centre for the completion of doubling of the line,” the report said.