Mapusa: A fire ripped through an unauthorised scrapyard at Colvale in Bardez in the early hours of Wednesday, destroying materials worth lakhs. No casualties were reported in the incident.The blaze, which broke out between 4am and 5am on Wednesday, spread swiftly as tightly packed stockpiles of highly inflammable plastic, rubber and scrap metal fuelled the flames. Thick plumes of toxic black smoke rose over the area, triggering panic among residents.Fire tenders from Mapusa and Porvorim rushed to the spot and battled the flames for hours before bringing the fire under control. The incident has highlighted the delay in implementing govt’s stated policy on regularising or relocating such high-risk units. Police sources said nearly 50 illegal scrapyards are operating within the Colvale police jurisdiction alone, with another 30 under Mapusa police station limits.
