A major fire gutted a scrapyard in Kundaim in the wee hours of Monday. Eight fire tenders from Kundaim, Old Goa, Bicholim, Ponda, Panaji and even Margao were deployed to douse the raging flames. The fire was so intense that firefighters used around 700 litres of foam and 1.7 lakh litres of water to bring it under control. Allegations are rife that the scrapyard was operating without the necessary permissions. In June earlier this year, another scrapyard at Mushirwada-Colvale caught fire, with thick clouds of black smoke spreading across nearby residential areas as firefighters from Mapusa and Porvorim struggled to bring the raging fire under control.
From Kundaim to Zuarinagar, Colvale, Fatorda and several areas of Salcete, such incidents are a threat to the people. Each fire brings the same frightening images: emergency teams rushing to the scene, JCBs clearing debris, and water tenders working desperately to prevent the flames from triggering explosions or spreading to nearby properties. While firefighters are dealing with the immediate danger, the state government appears trapped in a cycle of bureaucratic delays and policy inaction.
Official figures point to hundreds of scrapyards operating across Goa. Salcete accounts for the highest number, with 108-plus units, followed by Bardez with 66, Tiswadi with 57, Bicholim with 49 and Ponda with 48. Even more alarming is the fact that most scrapyards operate without a valid Fire No-Objection Certificate. Some of these scrapyards operate on agricultural land, encroached Comunidade property and even in thickly populated residential areas. In several cases, they lack adequate firefighting equipment, proper systems for handling hazardous waste or the necessary regulatory approvals.
What is disturbing is the regulatory uncertainty that is hanging over these scrapyards, with no operational policy in place. Local panchayats attempting to act against these units have repeatedly found their efforts frustrated by higher authorities. One telling example is Colvale, where the Village Panchayat moved to demolish illegal scrapyard sheds. However, the Directorate of Panchayats subsequently quashed the demolition order, citing a proposed government policy to rehabilitate scrapyard operators and relocate them to industrial estates. The real problem is that there is no clarity on when the policy will come into force.
There is another contradiction. The Goa Industrial Development Corporation has clarified that its allotment regulations do not permit scrapyard operations within industrial estates. So, while the government continues to tell the Legislative Assembly that relocation is being considered, the very industrial spaces being discussed may not legally accommodate these businesses. And consider this: The Goa Waste Management Corporation, meanwhile, has acknowledged that it does not have the statutory authority to take action against unauthorised scrapyards until the proposed Goa Scrapyard and Recycling Units Policy is formally notified.
The government cannot continue to use a proposed relocation policy as a reason to postpone a solution. Finding suitable land and working on a long-term rehabilitation plan may take time, but ensuring that existing scrapyards meet minimum safety requirements cannot wait. There have to be periodic safety checks, and illegal scrapyards must be immediately shut down.
Scrap recycling may be an important part of the economy, but that does not give operators the right to put entire neighbourhoods at risk. Goa has already seen enough fires to understand what is at stake. The next explosion should not be the event that finally forces the government to act.
