PANJIM: As many as 18 people, including owner of the scrapyard at Bamanbhat, Merces, were affected and sent to Goa Medical College (GMC), Bambolim, after they started feeling uneasiness due to leakage of unidentified gas from cylinders at the scrapyard.
The incident was reported to the Old Goa Police and Fire and Emergency Services (FES), Panjim, after the locals felt the smell emanating from the scrapyard which caused difficulty in breathing. Owner of the scrapyard, Namdev Pachangi, who came to check and put off the gas cylinders also fell sick due to the smell.
Amit V Rivankar, Leading Fire Fighter at FES, Panjim, who stays in the same locality, said he along with two other locals called police and fire brigade as he was informed that there was an incident of gas leakage.
Speaking to O Heraldo, Old Goa PI Raghoba Kamat said, “There is no clarity what gas it was. There are cylinders which we have kept in custody. They will be examined by the experts. However, from prima facie what public and fire brigade say that it is chlorine gas. Had it been other gas then the incident would have been fatal.”
He said a total of 18 persons were affected due to the gas and they were sent to GMC, Bambolim. Out of them, four have been admitted for observation while the rest have been kept at causality ward and will be discharged late evening.
Their statements have been recorded and as per the doctors the cases are not serious, he said.
Panjim Station Fire Officer (SFO) Rupesh Sawant said, “We got a call at around 8 am stating that there is a chlorine leakage. We went there and found that there were three cylinders in the scrapyard. According to the locals, one of the cylinders was leaking since last night and they were getting the smell. They were not sure that it was chlorine. But in the morning some people felt uneasiness and were shifted to GMC. I contacted the safety incharge of Deccan Fine Chemicals (India) Pvt. Ltd and shifted the cylinders there. I told the Sarpanch to take prompt action as the cylinders endangered life the people staying in the vicinity of the scrapyard because it is illegal."
Deccan Fine Chemicals (India) Pvt Ltd Safety Incharge Gaurish Bhende said, “There were three cylinders. We have disposed of one of them which was leaking. The other two cylinders too are in bad shape but they are not leaking. We have kept them in our facility so that if there is any leakage then we can control that.”
Meanwhile, Santa Cruz Block Congress Committee president John Nazareth demanded that Merces Sarpanch should come clean that there no tactic support to the operators of the illegal scrap yard from panchayat and asked to take steps to close the scrap yard and demolish the illegal structure constructed by filling low lying paddy fields and do away with all such illegal yards within the jurisdiction of Merces village in a time-bound manner.