VASCO
A major fire tore through a large scrapyard at Verna on Friday afternoon, sending thick black smoke billowing nearly 10 km across the highway and reducing the yard stacked with plastic, industrial waste and assorted scrap to ashes.
This marks the third scrapyard blaze in the last one month, with two earlier incidents reported from Sancoale.
Firefighters rushed multiple tenders to the scene, but strong winds fanned the flames further, making the operation increasingly challenging. Despite the intensity of the inferno, no loss of life was reported. The exact cause of the fire remained unknown even though the owner claimed foul play involved in the incident.
Officials from the Mamlatdar and Talathi offices inspected the site, while Cortalim MLA Anton Vas and Quelossim Panchayat member John Tavares also reached the spot to assess the situation.
Sources at the site alleged that the scrapyard was being operated without any permissions, and that the Quelossim Panchayat had previously demanded its demolition.
Scrapyard owner Sharif Hassan insisted there may have been deliberate foul play behind the blaze.
He told reporters that he was away offering namaz when the incident occurred.
“I was not at the site when the fire broke out. People who were here told me someone set the area on fire. There are five scrapyards here, all shut for over a year. There’s a person who has had enmity with us for long. We had even received a notice to clear the area and filed our reply before the Dy Collector and police and the matter is presently in the court. People here saw him lighting the fire,” Hassan said.
He added that although he had no permission to operate the yard, they were paying monthly rent to a local resident named Jose who stays in the area.
“We don’t have the required permissions to run this scrapyard, but we were paying rent. We are certain the person who has issues with us is behind this,” he said.
Quelossim panch member John Tavares confirmed that the panchayat had earlier pushed for the demolition of the illegal scrapyards.
“This is my ward, and we have held several discussions in the panchayat about the illegal scrapyards. A demolition was planned, but two departments didn’t turn up that day and the action got cancelled,” Tavares said.
He added that farmers had repeatedly complained about contaminated runoff from the scrapyards affecting their fields.
“Farmers told us their fields were not yielding because chemicals from the scrapyards were flowing into their land. We demanded demolition for their sake. There are five to six people operating illegally here, and they even show high-handedness when questioned. Our panchayat has already forwarded a resolution to the authorities for the demolition of these illegal scrapyards,” he stated.
Further investigation into the cause of the blaze and the alleged claims of foul play is underway.
