Serious concerns have been raised over several barrels filled with petrol, diesel, kerosene and sludge oil dumped in the premises of the Birla police outpost located at Zuarinagar for the last several years. These barrels could cause a serious threat to the lives of the police personnel working at this outpost in the event of a fire due to a leakage in the corroded barrels.
What is even more worrisome is the fact that the outpost is located only a few metres away from a petrol pump at Birla and any small fire that starts due to the haphazard placement of the barrels could lead to a massive disaster, not only for policemen but also to the thousands of residents of the Zuarinagar slum area in close vicinity.
As per available information with Verna police, most of the barrels dumped inside and outside the premises of the outpost had been seized by crime branch sleuths who carried out several raids on oil mafia at various sites under the Verna police jurisdiction in the past. Since then, these barrels have been lying at the outpost. A court order is pending for the disposal of the barrels. Because these barrels have been lying in the open, the metal has started to corrode, some to the extent that oil has begun to leak.
“The situation is just becoming worse every day. The barrels are now corroded and the oil has begun to leak, thereby not only damaging the environment but also posing a high risk to the lives of everyone in the vicinity if any mischief is created by miscreants in the area,” said a policemen attached to the Birla police outpost who did not wish to be named. He also added that last year, some miscreants set fire to the dry grass in the area behind the outpost. “Luckily we noticed what happened and we were able to douse the flames before they could reach close to the leaking barrels. If we hadn’t done so, the outpost wouldn’t exist today,” he explained.
It isn’t only the policemen, even the residents of the Zuarinagar slums and local leaders have raised concerns over the leaking barrels. “If the police cannot dispose of the barrels due to a pending court order, then they should shift them to an isolated location. We are afraid that these leaking barrels could put thousands of people living in close quarters in Zuarinagar at a major risk. The police should have dumped this inflammable liquid away from residential areas. We request the police department to take action quickly before it is too late,” said Govind Lamani, a panch member from Sancoale.
Herald investigations found that over 20 such barrels are stored in the backyard of the outpost, while one barrel filled with diesel is kept right inside the outpost which is frequently visited by a number of people on a daily basis.
Interestingly, the issue of dumping of the seized barrels is not only restricted to the Birla outpost but even other police stations in Mormugao taluka including Vasco, Verna and Mormugao police stations which also face a similar risk. In fact, in the past the barrels dumped at Verna police station leaked and created panic.
Meanwhile, when contacted, the deputy superintendent of police of Vasco, Sucheta Dessai also disclosed that the barrels could be the source of a real disaster. She said that she had asked all the police stations including Verna and Mormugao, besides Vasco to furnish details of the barrels with a case status report so that she can forward the same to the police higher ups for immediate necessary action.
“The police authorities are bound to obey court orders and the court should consider the risk to the lives of policemen, thereby disposing the barrels as early as possible, without keeping them for too long,” she was quoted as saying. “In order to reduce the risk from the barrels, I am trying to shift the barrels to an isolated place,” she added.
