PONDA: After a stolen concrete mixer of sewer and drainage contractor was found at a scrapyard operating at Bond-Baag, Bethora, the locals on Saturday questioned are these scrapyards meant to store scrap material or business dens for stolen goods.
The locals demanded for an accountability and responsibility in operating a scrapyard by an owner with proper documentation to prevent buying and selling of stolen goods.
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This issue was raised by a local Sandeep Parkar after one accused person conducted theft of a roadside parked concrete mixer at Curti worth Rs 5 lakh and sold just for Rs 70,000 to one scrapyard owner at Bethora. The scrapyard owner dismantled it into spare parts without asking for ownership documents of the concrete mixer.
Parkar questioned is there any accountability on the part of the scrapyard owners doing business and whether they keep documentary evidence or are they permitted to buy the stolen goods.
Based on a complaint filed by Parkar against the illegal operating scrapyards, Curti-Khandepar Village Panchayat recently demolished two illegal scrapyards.
He said, “Total 11 scrapyards are likely to be demolished for operating business illegally.”
“The scrapyard operating in the panchayat jurisdiction has also turned into a den for buying stolen goods. Ponda Police arrested three persons in connection with the theft of concrete mixer machine,” he added.
The sewer and drainage contractor who owned the mixer machine had filed a theft complaint following which the Ponda Police arrested one scrapyard owner at Bond-Baag, Bethora for buying the stolen mixer; Querim youth for conducting the theft and one crane driver from Dattagarh-Bethora, who was involved in transporting the machine to the scrapyard. The scrapyard owner had dismantled the mixer into various spare parts.
Parkar cited an example saying, in the past one youth used to conduct thefts of batteries of parked trucks and sell it at the Curti scrapyard. The locals of Dharbandora caught the accused red-handed after which he had confessed of the crime.
He also mentioned of another incident at Curti, wherein some youth conducted theft of rickshaw of one local for transporting stolen material at Curti.
He said, “There must be accountability while conducting the scrap business. Because at the scrapyards, the spare parts of vehicles are available at a cheaper rates and people without any hesitation just buy it because they are getting it cheaper without giving any thought that it may be obtained from the stolen vehicles.”
Off lately, the scrapyards have become nuisance to the residential areas as they not only burning hazardous waste, but also buying stolen goods from the locals.
The locals urged the panchayat to shift all scrapyards to industrial estates’ areas.
