Scrapyards are the part and parcel of the society but in our country it is highly mismanaged, Illegal and vulnerable to various issues, such as spreading of decrease due to mosquito breeding and other health hazards like storage of chemicals and gas cylinders which are the most dangerous to the lives of the people staying in the surrounding areas. The recent case of Fatorda is a live example of how much damage can be done by the scrapyard to this tiny state.
The recent case of the Gawliwado in south Goa made it more clear as to how the grossly managed scrapyard can turn into the ticking bomb. According to the report published in the local daily Herald A scrapyard in Gawliwado caught fire on Tuesday triggering 4 consecutive medium intensity blasts and a major fire within the property. The fire continued for nearly 3 to 4 hours and required three fire tenders to contain the flames. Later in the evening, the Fire officials extracted six domestic LPG cylinders from the scrap yard.
The Goans being very humble and simple in nature, it does not strikes them until the major tragedy takes place. Here in this case also the said scrapyard has been existing for more than a decade in the locality but, the blast of a gas cylinder woke up the people of in the loyalty, and now they are eager to know as to how a scrap yard is allowed to operate in residential areas.
According to the reports, scrap yards are operating in various parts of Fatorda have penetrated into the residential areas for more than a decade ago. From Ambaji, Chandrawado to Gawliwado and other areas of Fatorda constituency.
People of Fatorda are not happy with the performance of their local MLA who is also the part of the BJP-led government. After being so long in the ruling dispensation with a ministry, will the MLA of Fatorda now move to put the problems in order and shift the yards of fear out into safer locations is what the locals are wondering?
The investigations have revealed that scrap yard that caught fire on Tuesday had no license to operate, No NOC or any kind of permission from any competent authorities, said the sources. According to the reports, any scrap yard which operates in the residential area is required to have operation NOCs from the MMC or Pollution Control Board. Polluting and involving in rather suspicious activities, but he said scrapyard had nothing of the above and was operational for years.
You will be surprised to hear that this, not the first incident which took place here in this location. According to the reports, in the year 2011, a tragic accident took place in one of the yards in Fatorda which claimed one life and left two seriously injured. The incident occurred at around 9.20 am when three persons were engaged in dismantling an empty tanker for scrap with a gas cutter when the tank exploded. The blast was so powerful that the deceased Bilhu Pawar (32), a native of Sangli, who was on the tanker, was flung onto the main road after the iron lid burst open due to gas formation inside the tank.
This is not the only incident that took place in Fatorda but, there are many such cases of illegalities that kept surfacing into the media time to time but the local representatives and government official remained silent over the issue. The residents of Fatorda are against the scrapyard but they are helpless, and the only thing they can do is show their anger in the media. One of the residents of Fatorda told the media that These scrap yards are illegal, and are of no use to the people of Fatorda. According to them, this incident came to light as it has created a bigger damage but, there are so many incidents that go unnoticed day in and day out.
“This scrap yard here at Gawliwado has been burning plastic all the time to dispose of. This has been releasing harmful fumes into the neighborhood. These are some unknown people to the locality and people fear to complain against them expecting the backlash,” said one of the residents of Fatorda. Several locals have already filed complaints regarding the dangers and incidents that have already occurred around here and have been demanding to shift out these yards. They also have complained that there has been an advent of the migrant population in tens and thousands to this place here.
The sources revealed that the local residents of Fatorda had been agitating against these illegal scrapyards since the year 1999 but till date, their grievances had not been heard by their local MLAs or any ruling government.
This is not the situation of Fatorda alone but there are hundreds of scrapyards spread across the state and out them, many are illegal but, what the government is doing about it? When will they take action against such illegalities especially the ones that pose threats to the human lives? What is your opinion on this? Please share your valuable comments on this issue.
SOURCE: VARIOUS SOURCES
