Almost a week after a naphtha- laden ship stranded off the Goa coast was refloated and towed away, the opposition Congress demanded an inquiry into the vessel's antecedents claiming it originated in Pakistan.
Unmanned ship 'Nu-shi Shalini', which was anchored at Mormugao Port but drifted on October 24 due to winds and ran aground after hitting rocks near the state Raj Bhavan, was refloated on Wednesday night and towed away to MPT in the early hours of Thursday.
A Congress delegation led by leader of opposition Digambar Kamat met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and demanded an inquiry claiming it originated in Pakistan.
He later told reporters the CM had promised a high level inquiry into the entire episode.
"The Congress party objects to the decision of the Goa government asking Director General of Shipping to investigate the matter, as the agency itself is responsible to give permission to berth the ship at MPT Port," the Congress said in a memorandum submitted to Sawant.
Pointing out that naphtha from the ship has already been offloaded in a tank in Vasco town, the Congress demanded it should not be transported further by road, but by ship.
Post the meeting with the Congress delegation, the chief minister's office tweeted, "A delegation led by Leader of Opposition Shri @digambarkamat met Chief Minister @DrPramodPSawant regarding Naphtha issue. CM assured of putting safety of Goans on top priority.