Panaji, Nov 11 (TIWN) Amid stiff opposition to its proposed double-tracking project, the South Western Railway on Wednesday assured that coal transportation along its tracks in the coastal state would see a dip in the coming years.

SWR Additional General Manager PK Mishra pointed out that the fears of opposition parties and civil society groups were "unfounded" since the onus of limiting the quantum of coal transportation was vested in the Goa State Pollution Control Board.  "Coal has multiple uses. Primary requirement of coal has been for power only. Our traffic (coal transportation) pattern has been going down. Requirement of coal will not increase in the future," Mishra told a virtual press conference in Panaji.  "The permission to transport coal is granted by the state pollution control board. There is a ceiling in force. We cannot breach the ceiling which has been set for coal transportation," Mishra said.  The track-doubling project from Castle Rock railway station in Karnataka to the Tinai ghat station in Goa is one of the three projects opposed by the opposition parties and civil society groups, claiming the projects would lead to the axing of nearly 50,000 trees in the reserved forests in and around Mollem village in South Goa.