PONDA
Residents in Piliem-Dharbandora reacted with alarm on Friday after a welding inspection machine which emits high radiation was found in a rented room in a residential locality.
Such a machine, which poses a serious health hazard, is limited to only industrial areas.
Dharbandora Sarpanch Vinayak alias Balaji Gawas, who lives nearby the rented room where the radiation device was found, notified the police after receiving information about the welding inspection machine in the rented room. Gawas later filed a police complaint in the matter.
Two youths were found to be residing in the rented room and the welding inspection machine was found stored in a hole made in the room. Concerned locals claimed that the room where the welding inspection machine was found, is located barely 50 metres from a petrol pump, 100 metres from a government primary school and anganwadi, and 200 metres from a health centre.
According to information, the welding inspection machine was brought to the room about one-and-half months ago. The device, which costs Rs 10-12 lakh, is used to check the welding in large companies.
The youths were allegedly taking the machine from their room to their workplace in the morning and returning with it in the evening.
When locals confronted the lady who had given the room for rent, she claimed to have had no information about the machine. Locals have, however, accused her of lying after they noticed that a one-square metre pit was specially carved out in the ground and cemented on all sides to store the machine in the rented room.
Ponda police were investigating the matter till late Friday evening, while a forensic team from Karwar arrived to inspect the machine.
