Team Herald
MARGAO: Fire broke out at the Sonsoddo dump yard yet again on Thursday, causing widespread panic and anxiety among residents of the locality. However due to the valiant and relentless efforts of the firefighters, the flames were finally doused after hours.
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According to officials, the fire erupted in garbage dumped outside the shed at around 4.30 am. While the fire was eventually doused, it reignited calls for accountability from both the authorities and
residents.
Many citizens, along with a group of councillors, have raised suspicions that the fire was deliberately set by unknown individuals.
Camilo Baretto, a local councillor, expressed his concerns, stating that the recent installation of a shredding machine to process coconut shells and dry waste was already non-functional.
“Repeated fire incidents are a clear result of the municipality’s failure to manage the site properly. We must consider the nearby residents and the school in the vicinity, not to mention the high tension electricity wires overhead. Such incidents can lead to catastrophic consequences,” Baretto warned.
Barretto also emphasized that the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) must take responsibility and ensure such fires do not happen again. He voiced suspicions that the fire was intentional, pointing to the
increasing number of
similar incidents.
Former Chairperson Savio Coutinho weighed in on the matter, noting that the fire services had established a permanent station at Sonsoddo due to the frequent fire outbreaks.
However, he accused the local council of allowing the fires to occur as a method of reducing waste accumulation. “In the past, fires were blamed on methane gas from mixed waste, but now the waste at Sonsoddo consists mainly of dry and garden waste. It’s foolish to attribute the fires to heat alone, especially when they occur in the early hours of the morning,” Coutinho
remarked.
He also expressed frustration with the newly installed fire hydrants, which he claimed failed to stop the fire in its initial stages, suggesting that the fire was allowed to spread for undisclosed reasons. “What was the security doing during the night shift at Sonsoddo?” he questioned.
Coutinho did not spare Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, accusing him of merely inaugurating machinery, such as the shredding machines for garden waste and coconut husks, without ensuring their proper
functioning.
“The coconut husk shredding machine stopped working immediately after it was commissioned,” Coutinho revealed, adding that this was an example of the council mismanaging taxpayer money.
The ongoing issues at the Sonsoddo dump yard continue to raise alarms among the public, with many calling for urgent intervention and effective solutions to prevent further fires and waste mismanagement.
