Panaji: Days after the news of coal being washed ashore went viral on social media, Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral said that the black substance found on Goan beaches was charcoal and not coal.
Cabral was severe on environmentalist and social worker Claude Alvares saying that a learned person like him must clarify and check and only then make such claims of coal.
“The substance found on Ker and Benaulim beaches was analysed by Goa State Pollution Control Board and was found to be charcoal in preliminary report,” he said.
Cabral said that the chemical analysis of the black substance found is yet to be determined.
“It is not coal for sure as claimed by Alvares,” he said.
He condemned the action of Claude Alvares for creating fear amongst people by stating that coal from MPT had washed ashore.
“The allegations by Claude were misleading ,” he said.
“We also do not want coal in Goa. Even CM has said this. The Sagarmala is just a proposed report for ports to reach optimum capacity,” he said.
Asked where the coal came from, he said “GSPCB will find out from where the charcoal came from”.
Last time, he added, the GSPCB was successful in determining from where the tar ball came.
“Our chemical analysis was successful in concluding that the tar balls were result of oil from high seas of Mumbai,” he said.
He said that he has asked Claude to apologise and if not he will submit report to CM.
“Let the govt decide what action to take,” he said.
Further Cabral slammed the new trend of opposing anything and everything.
“We now realise what the agenda is. Be it tourism or any development project, everything is being opposed,” he said.
