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| Source: cnbctv18 |
Goa has been seeing mass protests since Sunday, November the 1st as thousands of people gathered from 10:30 PM till 4 AM amid COVID-19 at Chandor village, south of Goa at midnight to protest against the exploitation of the environment.
Environmental activists have been spreading awareness on social media about the issue for quite a while. The situation has just begun to grab attention after the students, villagers and activists took to the streets.
The crowd marched with lit candles, sang songs and danced as they made their cries heard to stop the project of turning Goa into a coal hub.
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| Source: @mymollem.goa/instagram |
What are the protests about?
The uprising of the Goans are against three projects that are bound to have a negative impact on the ecosystem- the Railway Double Tracking, Power Transmission line and Highway expansion. These projects serve one purpose: coal importation.
The Indian Express states that 51.6 million tonnes of coal are to be imported for Adani Group, JSW Group and Vedanta. The railway authorities are laying tracks on the Western Ghats for the transport of this coal. Goans are worried this will lead to the destruction of their ecological diversity.
Impact of the projects:
The impact of these coal mines on Goa goes a long way back. The Indian Express explored the density of the situation in 2017: “the transport of such huge amounts of coal is putting at risk entire habitations in villages and towns.”
Further elaborating that “The coal dust is blackening lungs, pushing up incidents of respiratory disorder; it’s threatening fragile forests, paddy fields, countless streams and rivers, at one place even a tiger corridor, at least two sanctuaries, and an entire hill”
Moving ahead with the project will only lead to negative results. Goans are aware of this and do not stand in favour of any of these projects. Few effects:
1. Massive loss of forest land and habitations.
2. Coal dust pollution leading to health implications
3. Spillage
4. Noise pollution
5. damage to homes due to vibrations
6. Damage the water distribution
The Government’s Response:
With so much at risk and so many in disfavour, why is the Goa Government still getting on with the project?
The Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant had said in Cuncolim, “Time and again I have told and tried to convince that Railway Double Tracking project is not going to turn Goa into a coal hub but this project will benefit locals in the long run”
As a response to this environmental threatening issue, the state’s Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral assures that the Government will make sure that 10-12 million tonnes of annual coal imports will not increase. The Adani Group denies any involvement in the issue, tweeted on 5th November:
The uprising of the Goans are against three projects that are bound to have a negative impact on the ecosystem- the Railway Double Tracking, Power Transmission line and Highway expansion. These projects serve one purpose: coal importation.
The Indian Express states that 51.6 million tonnes of coal are to be imported for Adani Group, JSW Group and Vedanta. The railway authorities are laying tracks on the Western Ghats for the transport of this coal. Goans are worried this will lead to the destruction of their ecological diversity.
Impact of the projects:
The impact of these coal mines on Goa goes a long way back. The Indian Express explored the density of the situation in 2017: “the transport of such huge amounts of coal is putting at risk entire habitations in villages and towns.”
Further elaborating that “The coal dust is blackening lungs, pushing up incidents of respiratory disorder; it’s threatening fragile forests, paddy fields, countless streams and rivers, at one place even a tiger corridor, at least two sanctuaries, and an entire hill”
Moving ahead with the project will only lead to negative results. Goans are aware of this and do not stand in favour of any of these projects. Few effects:
1. Massive loss of forest land and habitations.
2. Coal dust pollution leading to health implications
3. Spillage
4. Noise pollution
5. damage to homes due to vibrations
6. Damage the water distribution
The Government’s Response:
With so much at risk and so many in disfavour, why is the Goa Government still getting on with the project?
The Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant had said in Cuncolim, “Time and again I have told and tried to convince that Railway Double Tracking project is not going to turn Goa into a coal hub but this project will benefit locals in the long run”
As a response to this environmental threatening issue, the state’s Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral assures that the Government will make sure that 10-12 million tonnes of annual coal imports will not increase. The Adani Group denies any involvement in the issue, tweeted on 5th November:
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As citizens of one world, we must stand with Goans in time of this crisis and protect our biodiversity. #savemollem
Send objection letter: https://linktr.ee/savemollem
Written by Kim Houkip
Edited by Anusha Vajha
1 Comments
Thank you so much writing on this much needed issue.
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