VITHALDAS HEGDE
A massive gap has emerged between enforce ment and reality in Goa, where nearly 400 unauthor ised scrapyards continue to operate across the State, while a vital regulatory framework remains trapped in bureaucratic delays. De spite escalating public pan ic over severe fire hazards, environmental degradation, and direct health risks to lo cal neighbourhoods, State authorities have managed to demolish a mere 42 illegal yards. The Goa Waste Manage ment Corporation (GWMC) drafted the Goa Scrapyards and Recycling Units Poli cy more than a year ago to bring the sector under a for mal regulatory framework. However, the policy re mains stuck in the pipeline. According to data submitted in the Legislative Assembly, Goa has over 400 unauthorised scrapyards. The highest concentration is in Salcete taluka with 216 yards, followed by Bardez with 62, Tiswadi with 33, and Bicholim with 28. Against this backdrop, enforcement remains slow; only 42 scrapyards have been demolished statewide, including 14 in Kavlem, Ponda last month.
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When contacted, GWMC Managing Director Harish Ad conkar stated that the framework is being finalised. “The Goa Scrapyards and Recycling Units Policy is in its drafting stage. It will be placed before the GWMC Board for approval soon after the ensuing Ganesh Chaturthi festival,” Adconkar said. The issue has been raised in the Assembly multiple times. While the government initially proposed identifying vacant land within industrial estates for relocation, it hit a legal roadblock. Scrap activities are currently prohibited under the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (G-IDC) Al lotment, Transfer, and Sublease Regulations, 2023. Despite this, the proposed policy still suggests operators buy a min imum plot size of 2,000 square metres in industrial zones to create dedicated trade zones. The policy aims to mandate orderly registration, im prove environmental safeguards, and ensure scrap mate rial is handled safely. Unauthorised yards encroaching on public or low-lying lands will face eviction under town and country planning laws. Under the new rules, yards must be fenced, feature concreted working areas, and maintain ad equate access roads for fire tenders. The delay in implementation has left residents vulnera ble. Virendra R Verekar from Merces, who has been fight ing to remove these yards from residential zones, recalled a dangerous incident from last year. “On the morning of June 27, 2024, as many as 23 residents at Bamanbhat, Merc es, were rushed to the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) after a chlorine gas cylinder leaked at a local scra pyard,” Verekar said.
Verekar noted that he had complained about the yard a year before the leak. Following the accident, the Merc es village panchayat issued a show-cause notice and or dered a demolition, while the North Goa District Collector sealed the site. However, the yard owner, Namdev Pachun ga, obtained a stay order from the Additional Director of Panchayats by challenging the panchayat’s procedure. The legal matter is still ongoing. Verekar alleged the yard con tinues to operate illegally despite its entrance being sealed, though Pachunga has denied this claim. A similar story of legal delays echoes in Curti-Khandepar. Resident Sandeep Parkar explained that he fought to de molish illegal yards in his area. “In 2019, I filed complaints against 11 scrapyards. After inspections, eight were demol ished. However, three operators approached the Additional Director of Panchayats in Margao and obtained stay orders. The matter has been dragging on in court for the last five years,” Parkar said. All Goa Recyclers Dealers Association President Me hmood Khan urged the government to expedite the system. “The government told us scrapyards would be relocated to industrial estates or exclusive scrap zones. We even paid our registration fees, but there is still no sign of the policy. I have since converted my own scrap space into a formal recycling area,” Khan said. As long as the policy remains on hold, the threat of haz ardous pollutants from mixed scrap fires hangs over resi dential and commercial neighborhoods across Goa. The State government’s primary objective is to clear out unauthorised scrapyards and establish a structured recy cling loop.
This system aims to integrate legitimate scrap dealers into the formal sector while completely halting un safe, environmentally damaging operations. To handle automotive waste, Goa already implements a separate Vehicle Scrapping Policy, 2023. This framework specifically focuses on routing end-of-life vehicles into au thorised recycling facilities to curb pollution, boost road safety, and promote scientific recycling within a circular economy. Consequently, the government’s overarching challenge is not just to shut down illegal yards, but to build a comprehensive ecosystem where legitimate businesses can safely transition into legal operations. Under the new proposed policy, scrapyards will face strict regulations through mandatory licensing, clear land use compliance, and rigid safety guidelines. Registered yards will be legally required to maintain fenced premises, concrete working areas, adequate access roads for fire ten ders, and proper water and sanitation facilities. This regulatory shift has taken on deep urgency following multiple fires and hazardous accidents at yards operating dangerously close to residential neighbourhoods. Densely populated communities have repeatedly demanded that these scrapyards be relocated to safer, isolated zones and that stricter enforcement be unleashed against unauthor ised operators. However, the plan to shift these businesses has hit a bu reaucratic roadblock.
While the State government initially suggested moving scrapyards into established industri al estates or dedicated scrap zones, it later emerged that scrap handling is strictly prohibited inside industrial areas under current Goa-IDC regulations. This continued delay in finalising the policy framework has left hundreds of scrapyards operating without any standardised supervision. The government must now ur gently resolve this conflict by balancing hard enforcement with the practical creation of a scientifically managed recy cling sector.
