Margao: More than a year after chief minister Pramod Sawant assured the assembly that govt would formulate a comprehensive policy to relocate illegal scrapyards within six months, no such policy has materialised, with official sources confirming that the exercise remains at a preliminary stage.According to data available with the waste management department, Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) is in the process of formulating the Goa Scrapyards and Recycling Units Policy, indicating that the exercise is yet to be finalised despite the assurance made in Aug 2025.The delay comes as illegal scrapyards continue to pose hazards. Three such units were recently destroyed in a fire in Cortalim constituency, highlighting the risks associated with unregulated scrapyards operating near residential areas. Separately, an illegal scrapyard near the frontispiece of the church heritage monument at Sancoale has drawn criticism for being an eyesore for tourists visiting the site, while locals have questioned why no action has been taken to clear it.Official sources said the waste management department currently has no mandate to act against existing illegal scrapyards.Sawant had given the assurance in the assembly in Aug 2025 while responding to a private member’s resolution moved by MLA Vijai Sardesai. The proposed policy was to facilitate the relocation of scrapyards from residential, agricultural and eco-sensitive areas to designated zones within Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) estates.Sardesai had pointed to nearly 800 unregistered and illegal scrapyards operating across the state and warned of the environmental and health risks they posed. Opposition leader Yuri Alemao had cited groundwater contamination caused by dumping and run-off from scrapyard sites, while MLA Viresh Borkar had linked the unchecked proliferation of such units to a rise in crime.
