Is your fridge not working? What are you planning to do with it, repair or scrap? The only image which comes to our mind, thinking about a scrap yard would be waste, untidy and messy.
And yes there are a few people who think they can earn from that mess. Mangesh Raikar is an owner of a scrap yard in Panjim. Pointing out to some of the rusted cars in his scrap yard, he said, “A normal person can only see that the car is of no use, it’s rusted and thus cannot be utilized but for me that car is my source of income. We segregate the parts and sell the one’s which are in running condition. At the same time, we also remove the iron pieces and sell them off separately. Vehicles even have other materials like hard plastics, aluminum, chrome and many more which can also be sold.” He further added that the job is a good source of income but the only thing which is missing in this job is the amount of respect.
Syed Adnan is a son of a scrap yard owner, who currently resides in Nessai. He said, “If I remember anything from my childhood, then most of my memories are from ‘Adda’. I remember going there to look out for things which I could break and make. Toys which used to come at the adda were my favorite pastime, even there were chairs which were disowned for silly reasons like missing wheels.” He added the reason for him getting curious about science and its practicality was due to his regular visits at adda. He remembers being scolded by his dad for dismantling the machines which were in working conditions.
There are a lot of people from Nepal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who come to Goa in search of jobs. One of them is Pushkal Babu, a Nepali and has been working in Goa for the last ten years. He said, “I work here for six months and then my brother comes here for the next six months. We take turns working here and staying with the family as well. The best thing about this place is, it’s always functional. During the lockdown, I never faced any problem. I was paid well, given a stay at Adda itself and my family was happy there.” He asked who said the place was untidy. Maintaining the place and keeping the scraps of all different kinds in a systematic manner has been one of the biggest learning’s from this place.
Krishna Pandey, a resident of Nuvem and a native of Uttar Pradesh is the owner of a scrap yard. He said, “From the time I came to Goa, I never purchased any toys for my kids. I have repaired the toys which I received as scrap and gifted them to my kids. They have always loved those toys and never complained about them.” He revealed he had an opportunity to get some antique artifacts from the time of Portuguese rule during the scrap auctions, which in turn helped him earn good profits. Krishna said, “The first one was a pure copper utensil from the Portuguese time. It was around hundred and fifty years old and was very well maintained. Onan another occasion it was a toy car from the British era. The royal kids used to have those toys and it was made of iron. The weight of that car was able to provides hints as to its date of manufacture.”
Ravi Kumar is another worker at the same scrap yard. A native of Bihar, he has been staying in Goa for the last three years. He said, “If this place would not be there, my family would be on the road. I did not have any specific skills for any job. I came here and did the work of wage workers, where I and my wife used to work from morning till late evening to earn our daily livelihood. Later with help of some friends, I came to adda where I learnt the way work was to be done.” He is happily living his life with his family and said that now he was in such a condition that he sent his children to school and they happily work at Adda.
Undoubtedly there were a few environmental issues caused by such setups. The locals have been complaining about it. Jessica Fernandes one of them said, “They are the main source of all the disease spreading around us. The place where they work and live are untidy. It becomes worse during the rainy season, when the entire place also stinks.” She further added that she has already filed a case against them after giving them several warnings.
In contrast, Ushman Shaikh, the owner of the scrapyard said, “We try our best to remove the waste items as soon as possible. The scrap which is collected is sent to their respective places within a week’s time. Also we have been keeping our place as clean as possible.” He further added that before anyone else he thinks about the workers at Adda. The unhygienic condition of the place will directly affect the workers there, but till date not even a single case of any disease has been observed there.
