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I have also brought transparency in the working of the Board. A procedure is introduced such, that the Technical Advisory Committee appointed by the Chairman will review Consents to Establish (NOC), Consent to Operate on every Tuesday and the approval for the same will be given by the Chairman on the every Wednesday. The approved order will be put on the Notice Board of the Goa State Pollution Control Board immediately on the Wednesday itself, the same order will also be sent to Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday itself for the display on the Website and on the next day approved orders will be sent to the concerned officials. As soon as the Board’s Website is launched, the list will also be displayed on Board’s Website. The Consent fees are to be paid directly in the Oriental Bank of Commerce and no officials is allowed to visit the Board Laboratory.

In case any official of the company has to visit the Board on any account, he should visit between 10.00 am. to 1.00 pm.

No official will be allowed to visit the Board office in the afternoon session and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays

Measures have been taken for controlling coal pollution in the Vasco city. High Mast water sprinklers are fixed in the coal stacking area around Mormugao harbour and wetting of coal is carried out at Berth Nos.10 & 11 to avoid coal particles flying towards Vasco city. About 1100 tall growing trees (Acacia Mangeuim ) are planted to act as a barriers, so that particles of coal do not fly towards the Vasco city.

I have also directed M/s South West Port Ltd. for automization of coal handling using Hopper and Conveyor Belt System. This system has been installed at Berth Nos. 5A and 6A. The system will be put into operation shortly.

The Board has directed the Port Authorities namely, Mormugao Port Trust and South West Port Ltd. to inform the concerned companies to take the entire coal handled at the berth nos. 5A and 6A to be carried by railway wagons to Karnataka and a small amount of coal that is used by factories in Goa should also take it to the nearest point of the factories by railways or by sea route. Coal handling on berth no. 10 & 11 should be stopped once the automization of berth nos. 5A and 6A is completed and put in operation.

I have also instructed the Port Authorities to hand over two road sweepers to Municipal Council for cleaning the roads. I am sure that if all the above instructions are strictly followed then the Vasco City will be free from pollution due to coal.

A new Air Quality Monitoring System has been installed by me at the terrace of Central Fire Brigade Station of Mormugao Port Trust for monitoring coal Pollution at Mormugao harbour. The funds for these activities have been provided by Central Pollution Control Board.

It was noticed that many of the steel manufacturing units were emitting comparatively high amounts of pollutants in the air. I had forced them to fix ducts, powerful air blowers and pollution control equipments such as wet scrubbers, dry scrubbers, electro-static precipitator, etc. Many of these units have complied with the directions given by the Board and environmental pollution is now very much reduced. It is necessary that all the units should install such equipments and observe that these units remain in working condition.

Goa is having 12 Municipal Councils and 1 Corporation. The total amount of Municipal Solid Waste is approximately 180 tones per day. The Board has given Authorisation to 10 Municipal Authorities under Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000. The remaining 3 Municipalities, which have not been granted Authorisation so far include Pernem, Valpoi and Sanguem Municipal Councils. Under Municipal Solid Waste ( Management & Handling ) Rules 2000, the Municipal Councils should set-up waste processing and disposal facilities by 31/12/03, as per the guidelines issued by Central Pollution Control Board. The District Magistrate has the over all responsibilities for enforcement of the provisions of the rules. The Ministry of Environment and Forest / CPCB is likely to give 50% of the cost of the Model system for the Capital City for the disposal of Municipal solid waste and the remaining 50% will have to be paid by the State Government for disposal facility.

A Common Hazardous Waste Disposal facility for Southern Maharashtra and Goa at Kudal is likely to be approved by the Government of Maharashtra for which the Chairman of Goa state Pollution Control Board had discussions with the Maharashtra Government and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. The Chairman had also requested the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and Maharashtra Government to allow Hazardous Waste approximately 4000 tones per year to be disposed off at their site at Taloja, till a new site at Kudal is developed.

An independent site for Hazardous Waste disposal in Goa is also being identified. However, a final decision has to be taken as per the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board, since the factories in the State of Goa may generate 20,000 tones/annum, in near future and, as per the guidelines of MoEF, CPCB and Hon. Supreme Court directives a separate site has to be identified for the State generating more than 20,000 tones/annum.

Due to pollution from the mining area, the mine owners were requested to ask the concerned officials to instruct the truck drivers to cover the ore with tarpaulin and not with polythene. The trucks should not be over-loaded with mineral ore and when the trucks come out from the mining area, they should pass through shallow pond of running water and sprinkle their tyres with water. The service road should also be cleaned and sprinkled with water. It is also necessary to have the side portions of the both sides of the tar-road to have tarred, so that no dust particles from the roads fly in the environment, when the trucks tyres move on the edges of the road.

With the guidelines given by the Goa Sate Pollution Control Board, it will be possible to bring down the pollution levels in the environment to a great extend.