Mapusa, Jun 15(TOI): Captain of ports (CoP) has still not issued permission to dredge the Tiracol river near its mouth.

Locals, under the banner of Keri Tiracol Gram Bachao Samiti, still continue to oppose the Aronda jetty project. The group is seeking the support of the people from Aronda in Maharashtra to oppose the project claiming that it will turn disastrous for the villages of Keri, Paliem and Aronda because of pollution, threat to the marine ecosystem in the river and the threat to the houses located along the river banks.

The group, formed to oppose the project, held a meeting with the people from Aronda on Sunday to decide the further course of action of their agitation.

Sources said that the group is planning to go before the National green tribunal (NGT) to oppose the project.

A private agency involved in the transportation of coal from Aronda jetty on the Maharashtra side of River Tiracol has applied for permission to the Goa government to dredge the river near its mouth.

The river is shallow near the mouth and the private party is seeking to deepen the channel for the requisite draft for movement of barges.

The agency has sought permission from the ports administration, Goa coastal zone management authority (GCZMA) and Goa state pollution control board (GSPCB) and fisheries department for dredging the river mouth.

"CoP has not issued any permission for dredging the Tiracol river so far. We are waiting for NOCs from other relevant departments like GCZMA, fisheries, GSPCB and the biodiversity board," captain of ports James Braganza told TOI.

Water resources department has spent crores of rupees in its efforts to minimize the damage to the shore by first erecting gabion structures, which were washed away. It has started laying tetrapods on the worst-affected parts of the beach during the last couple of years.

Aronda locals, who have been opposing the jetty for the three years, have formed a 'Aronda Bachao Sangharsha Samiti' (ABSS) to register their protest. Now the locals from Goa and Maharashtra have joined hands to fight the movement against the upcoming mining jetty at Aronda in Maharashtra.

"We have held two meetings with the locals from Aronda. We have decided to fight the legal battle and are in the process of collecting documents to approach the appropriate authority to stop the project," Prasad Shahapurkar, an advocate and member of the group, said.

The coal, which was stacked at the new Aronda jetty, has been cleared ahead of the monsoon. The barges had unloaded the coal at the newly-constructed jetty in Maharashtra in February.

"People generously contributed to the association. We had received 20,000 in donations. The association will use the money to fight the legal battle," said Shashikant Pednekar, a Keri local.