PORVORIM: The State government will formulate a policy for scrap yards within next three months and relocate 380 scrap yards in the industrial estates, informed Waste Management Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.
Replying to a starred question tabled by leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, the Minister said that the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) is in process of framing policy for registration of scrap yard, and the policy will address issues of legal scrap yards, illegal scrap yards, registration of scrap yard etc.
The GWMC has been appointed as nodal agency to relocate scrap yards in the State, he said. However, Yuri alleged that the government was promoting “scrap yard mafia” in the State. “Out of the 699 scrap yards, 686 are illegally operating across the State occupying almost 1.58 lakh square metres of land, most of which are situated in the properties of Comunidades, in residential areas. This proves that the government is promoting scrap yard mafia,” he charged.
Alemao further demanded that Government must come out with a ‘scrap yard Policy’ to regulate its operations in the State. He alleged that both the District Collectors, Directorate of Municipal Administration and Directorate of Panchayats well as Goa State Pollution Control
Board (GSPCB) were deliberately turning a blind eye on the illegal scrap yards.
The Leader of the Opposition demanded that the government must notify the scrap yard policy immediately and take stern action against all the illegal operators. There is absolutely no mechanism in place to monitor the transportation of scrap material in Goa. The scrap yard operators are handling highly inflammable, hazardous and poisonous waste which may cause a disaster, he cautioned.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the House that the government will act strictly against all the illegal scrap yards across the State.
Monserrate said that there were 380 scrap yards mostly located in the South Goa district and admitted that there were operating illegally without obtaining any permission from competent authorities. Also most of these scrap yards were situated in private properties. He assured members that the land in Goa IDC in all Talukas will be identified to relocate the scrap yards.
Monseratte further said that in April 2010, the then government had formulated the ‘Goa Waste (Scrap) recycling Units Scheme’. However, the scheme expired in 2017.