Goemkarponn Desk
MERCES: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has received a petition from Merces residents requesting action against the illegal scrapyard at Bamon Bhatt, the site of a recent gas leak incident.
The residents have petitioned the GSPCB to close the illicit scrapyard because it poses a health risk to the general public and negatively impacts the environment.
Mahesh Patil, the chairman of the GSPCB, received the memorandum and was informed that the scrapyard is operating illegally in the village.
Additionally, the chairman was informed of the area’s high population density and the fact that scrapyards of this kind are not permitted to operate in residential areas.
The locals also brought up the GSPCB guidelines concerning waste collectors and scrapyards, and they expressed the opinion that the illegal scrapyard ought to be taken down.
The petition claims that “no one can handle such waste/chemicals without a licence under the hazardous waste rules, and according to these rules, the Pollution Control Board has to monitor facilities/scrapyards storing such hazardous chemicals/waste within their premises.”
It further states that handling chlorine gas in an open shed is obviously against GSPCB regulations, particularly when done in a residential area.
