PONDA: After a massive fire incident to the godown cum bungalow, the panicked Kavlem locals have finally awakened and opposed plastic storage godowns, scrapyards, and manufacturing units in residential areas and demanded to shift them to the industrial area.
The local Pradeep Bakhle said such units are dangerous in the locality and should not operate in a residential area. Locals feel that such storage of scrapyard is like a timebomb in an area that proves destructive in case of fire.
It may be recalled that since past more than a decade, the locals in gram sabha are also demanding to shift or take action against dangerous illegal scrapyards operating in residential areas of Kavlem and last year, in January Gramsabha, the locals also voiced against scrapyards, however, after massive fire incident the demand is grown up among locals. However, the scrapyard demolition issue is pending in Court.
On Sunday, it may be recalled that in the residential area at Dumbre, a three-storey building used as Bungalow cum godown of one owner Bishnoi stored with plastic goods, stoves and other material was gutted in a major fire causing loss to the tune of more than one crore.
One house situated close to it was also damaged. Following this, the locals in Kavlem Village are panicking and demand that no manufacturing, goods storage godown, or scrapyards be located in a residential area for the safety of locals.
The locals said many scrapyards are located near Petrol Pumps while the scrapyard operating handles dangerous chemicals. Besides this, locals suspected anti-social activities in scrapyards.
Sarpanch Rajesh Kavlekar said the Panchayat did not give Bishnoi any permission to store plastic goods material in his bungalow and even warned against it recently.
It may be recalled that locals have been fighting against scrapyards for the past twenty years.
On past several occasion, Sarpanch replied to gram sabha that the scrapyard is managed by locals hiring their premises to migrants who behaves arrogantly not only with also with Panchayat members.
He said the Director of Panchayat (DOP) had issued an order in the past for the demolition of these scrapyards, but the owners approached Court and obtained a stay.
He said all scrapyards are illegal and no permission from government authorities and scrap yard issue is in Court, and as soon as Panchayat managed to vacate the Court stay the next day, all eleven scrapyards would be demolished.
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