PANAJI
Even though the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) had as early as September 2023 clarified that scrapyards cannot be allotted plots in industrial estates, the State government continued to inform the Assembly that such a plan was under consideration.
The government has now acknowledged in the House that the Goa-IDC law does not permit allotment of plots for scrapyards in industrial estates.
“The allotment of plot to set up scrapyard is not permitted in the Industrial Estate set up by Goa-IDC as per Goa-IDC (Allotment, Transfer and Sublease) Regulations, 2023,” Waste Management Minister Atanasio Monserrate told the Assembly.
Records tabled in the House reveal that the GIDC had already conveyed this position to the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) in September 2023. In a communication, the GIDC Managing Director had stated that under the Goa Industrial Development Corporation Allotment Regulations, 2014 (amended in March 2021), allotment of plots for scrapyards is not permitted in industrial estates.
Despite this, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had told the Assembly during the Monsoon Session held in July“August last year and again during the Winter Session in January that the government planned to relocate scrapyards to designated IDC areas to ensure better regulation and safety.
Monserrate further informed the House that the Goa Waste Management Corporation is currently in the process of framing the ‘Goa Scrapyard and Recycling Units Policy’.
The proposed policy will focus on registration of scrapyards and address issues relating to legal and illegal scrapyards, besides covering other regulatory aspects.
Earlier, the Corporation had considered relocating scrapyards to industrial estates across all talukas, with operators expected to purchase plots of a minimum 2,000 square metres from GIDC.
Meanwhile, safety compliance remains a major concern. Records indicate that around 75 scrapyards are operating without a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department, and not a single scrapyard has obtained a fire NOC so far.
