Panaji (Goa): Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that the State will not allow more coal to be handled at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) until the companies showcase the technology which they will use to control the pollution.

Parrikar’s statement comes at the backdrop of the protests by a section of people under the banner of `Goa Against Coal’. The delegation of the people had met the chief minister demanding the closure of the coal handling facility at MPT.

“State government is not in favor of any more expansion of the coal handling facility at MPT. We have started the efforts to control the amount of coal handled at the port,” Parrikar told the reporters today adding that the State government has already reduced the coal handling capacity by 25 percent.

Responding to a question about the pollution caused due to the coal, Parrikar claimed: “it is already under control.”

“The protests should be against coal pollution and not against the coal,” he suggested adding that the pollution in Vasco town where MPT is located has come down much below the permissible level.

He said the state government has already written to the company asking them to showcase how they will handle the coal without pollution.

Parrikar said that there is already a technology in Holland and Europe which allows handling of the coal without creating any pollution.

Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) has leased out its capacity to two companies – Adani Murmugao Port Terminal Private Limited (AMPTPL) and South West Port Limited (SWPL).

Adani handles about 5.2 million tonnes of coal annually and Jindal, 7.2 million tonnes per annum.