National Fishworkers’ Forum on Monday decried shipping minister Nitin Gadkari’s allegations that protest from environmental activists led to the halt on capital dredging at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) causing losses worth Rs 250 crore to the exchequer. According to NFF members, capital dredging work had commenced in the MPT navigation channel to deepen it from about 14 metres to 19.5 metres over a approximately 0.25km to 10 km area, although environmental clearance had allegedly been granted only for maintenance dredging. NFF vice-chairperson Olencio Simoes and Old Cross Canoe Association Owners Co-operative Society Limited president Custodio D’souza pointed out that the work was halted after National Green Tribunal (NGT) on September 2, 2016 quashed the exemption from public hearing granted to the dredging project by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), saying it was illegal. NGT had noted that the exemption was arbitrary and in violation of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. The mandatory hearing will now be held at Tilak Maidan in Vasco on April 28.