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MPT IS BLACKEST PORT IN INDIA
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MPT IS BLACKEST PORT IN INDIA

Uncategorized October 31, 2025 , by

AND a few stray thoughts and few observations for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when the Mormugoa authorities claimed that it is the only green port in the country. On the face of it this is absurd as the Mormugoa Port Authority is the largest handler of coal which is classified as extremely dirty cargo. It is estimated that the Adani group alone imports over 300 million tons of coal through the Mormugoa port annually. All the coal that is extracted from the Adani concession in Australia is routed through the MPT.
Available figures indicate that 12.75 million tons of coal imported from Australia, Indonesia and South Africa was handled at the Mormugoa port in the last three years. It has been reported that MPT accounted for around 5% of the total coal imported by the country. The coal imports through Goa are not for Goan consumption but meant primarily for the Jindal steel plant in Karnataka.
There are elaborate guidelines fixed for the storage and transport of coal at the port. It is stipulated that the height of the coal stack should not be more than nine meters tall, it is also stipulated that the stacks should be watered and covered to prevent coal dust pollution in the air. These regulations are seldom enforced. There is also a large amount of dust pollution during the transport of coal by road and by train to Karnataka.
The Southwestern railway was compelled to undertake the double-tracking of the railway line between Goa and Karnataka primarily to facilitate the transport of coal . There have been strong objections from people in south Goa, residing in the vicinity of the double-tracking of railway lines, as this would increase the pollution they breathe in.
The Goa government has recently entered into an Memorandum of Understanding worth Rs6,160 crore for the expansion of MPT to create a terminal for liquefied natural gas, the official name for domestic and industrial gas cylinders. Most of this gas is imported from the Gulf states and Russia. However, Trump has imposed sanctions on the Russian oil and petroleum companies. Incidentally, it is Reliance Petrochemicals which has been the greatest beneficiary of the low cost crude imports from Russia. The addition of a gas terminal would increase the inflammability potential of the MPT.
Indeed, the MPT, far from being a green port is a ticking bomb, and this poses a major threat to the residents of port city Vasco da Gama.
POWER TARIFF WOES
AND a few stray thoughts on Power Minister Sudhin Dhavlikar backtracking on his earlier decision to increase the power tariff on consumption of power between 5pm and 9am the next morning. The rationale is that during peak hours, Goa has to pay virtually double the rate for the purchase of power from the national grid and other sources. Goa does not have any captive power generation and is dependent on the national grid. The power supply to Goa comes from long distances and is routed through Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Power is most needed by consumers between 6pm and midnight, when darkness sets in early, particularly in the winter months. The sunset is around 5pm and 6pm. There is very high use of power during the peak hours in the evening also for entertainment such as television and other high power consumption gadgets turned on.
It would have caused major inconvenience to domestic consumers if the power minister had gone ahead with his new time of the day power tariffs. He backed down in view of the widespread protests and now claims that a 20% extra tariff would be applicable only to industrial consumers. Which is even worse because all industrial units which have three shift working timing will be badly affected by the 20% hike in power tariff. It is only recently that many pharma units in the state were allowed to operate a third shift at night.
The hospitality industry which is a major consumer of power will also be badly impacted. Part of the problem is the non recovery of power arrears. It has been claimed that Rs570 crore worth of dues are pending. However, it is government departments which are the worst defaulters with pending arrears of a Rs100 crore. Unlike in the case of domestic consumers where power supply is promptly disconnected for non-payment of bills, electricity departments are unable to collect dues or disconnect power for government departments.
There is also a great deal of concern over the switch to smart digital meters, instead of the old meters, for monitoring power consumption. It is alleged that the digital meters can be rigged to charge higher amounts. The largest manufacturer of smart meters in the country is the Adani group which has a major stake in the power industry. There is a controversy over the tender for smart meters where the original estimate was revised from Rs467 crore to Rs987 crore. The Goa Electricity Department has warned that power would be disconnected if consumers do not switch to smart meters before November 28, 2025.
TIRESOME GOA CABBIES
AND a few stray thoughts on the renewed controversy over extortion and harassment by taxi drivers. With the new tourism season picking up there are complaints from tourists of harassment by taxi drivers. A family on a holiday in south Goa complained bitterly that local taxi drivers in south Goa did not permit a private vehicle to pick them up and take them to the airport. Instead, the family was apparently compelled to shift to a local taxi, instead of an app-based taxi they had ordered. The family claimed that their otherwise enjoyable holiday in the state had turned sour due to the dadagiri of Goan taxi-drivers.
This has been a long standing problem . Every resort in Goa has a taxi stand which is controlled by the local politicians. App-based taxis and even private cars are only allowed to drop guests at the resort. They cannot pick up guests staying in the resorts. The local taxi drivers and owners have strongly resisted the introduction of app based taxis. There are no Ola or Uber taxis in Goa. The only app based operator is Goa Miles which has very limited coverage.
There is also bitter rivalry between taxi drivers for capturing customers. Once such confrontation turned into a pitched battle with weapons like knuckle dusters just outside the Panjim police station earlier in the week. Apparently, there was a dispute between two groups of taxi drivers. Both went to the police station to register complaints against each other.
Outside the police station a violent war broke out between the two groups and the police had to intervene to restore peace. The logic of the taxi drivers is that during weekends and during the peak of the peak season everyone in Goa increases the tariff. All Goan stakeholders swear by surge pricing. Which means when the demand goes up during long weekends and during the Christmas season, airline prices and hotel tariffs and even the shacks increase their prices. The taxi drivers argue that they should also be entitled to hike their prices. The worst affected are local Goans themselves and budget tourists.
GOA REAL ESTATE
AND a few stray thoughts on the huge increasing demand from outsiders for premium real estate in Goa. It has been estimated that 30% of Indians who are looking for a holiday home choose Goa for their real estate investment. There have been recent reports that people form Delhi are relocating to Goa to avoid the very high levels of air pollution in the national capital region.
Indeed, at the time of writing this, the pollution levels in the national capital are so high that the Delhi government has published a notice in all the national newspapers imposing a ban on outside vehicles entering the national capital. The pollution in Delhi intensifies due to stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana in preparation for the planting of new crops.
Real estate circles reveal that the biggest demand is for high end villas, preferably those which offer sea or river views. To meet this demand all the leading real estate firms like the House of Lodha and the DLF which built Gurgaon, now have started real estate projects in Goa. Their apartments are priced between Rs10crore and Rs30core and more.
Already the quiet village ambience of Assagao, once considered a valley of flowers, has been transformed into a nouveau riche Gurgaon. Goans justifiably fear a total overload on the limited infrastructure of water, power, and sewage. And the huge influx of outsiders will further increase the migration into Goa of those in search of low skill jobs as that of being security guards, watchmen, maids, caretakers, etcetera.
TB’S MORTALITY RATE
AND a last stray thought for yet another Saturday. Though Goa may have a much lower rate of fresh TB cases at 3% the mortality rate is much higher than the national average. It has been reported that the mortality rate from TB in Goa is 8% to 9% as against the national average of 4%. The high mortality rate is being attributed to the very high levels of alcohol imbibed in the state. Apparently, alcohol reduces the effectiveness of TB drugs and leads to multi-resistant TB.
The government has intensified checking for TB with mobile devices, and unfortunately there has been very poor response to the vaccination drive initiated by the state TB office. It has been finally acknowledged that there is very little financial support for TB in the country. Various studies have shown that TB patients have to spend 30k% to 50% of their monthly income on fighting the disease. The only thing which comes free is the antibiotics supplied under the DOT program. There is no nutritional support and income support is limited to a nominal Rs1,000 per month. Insurance companies refuse to offer cover to TB patients. There is also evidence that pulmonary TB patients face discrimination not only for jobs but in the marriage market.

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