NT Reporter
Verna
A massive fire broke out on Friday afternoon at an illegally operated scrapyard on Quelossim comunidade land in the Verna Industrial Estate. Thick smoke spread across the area, causing panic among residents and people passing through the estate. Firefighters from Verna, Vasco, Margao, Panaji, and Ponda were deployed and worked late into the night to bring the blaze under control.
“Around 1.30 pm on Friday, the Verna Fire Station received information that a massive scrapyard behind the Duraline Company in the Verna Industrial Estate had caught fire. The fire was so intense that the smoke could be seen from a long distance. A few houses
were located near the scrapyard, and as a safety precaution, the residents were moved away to avoid any danger,” said division office, south zone official Francisco Mendes.
The scrapyard was operating illegally on comunidade land. “We had not taken any permissions to run the scrapyard but we were paying rent on the land. I had disputes with a neighbouring scrapyard competitor who wanted me to close down my yard. My staff has seen him setting fire to the scrapyard,” alleged the owner of
the scrapyard.
Firefighters from Verna and Ponda continued working late, ensuring the fire did not reignite.
Cortalim MLA Antonio Vas who arrived at the site said the scrapyard was being run illegally. Complaints had been lodged earlier and an order issued to demolish the scrapyard had been issued by the panchayat, he said. On the day the demolition was scheduled, employees from the Public Works Department and the Electricity Department failed to arrive.
Vas said he would inquire into why the departments did not show up and added that the police would be asked to investigate the exact cause of the fire and take appropriate action. This is the third scrapyard fire within a month in Zuarinagar and Verna in Mormugao taluka.
Earlier, two separate scrapyards in Zuarinagar caught fire on November 11 and 30.
There was no loss of life in any of the incidents. With such fires increasing, many residents living near scrapyard areas are raising safety concerns.
