Thakur Village ‘polluted’, residents flag stone quarrying in area
Residents’ complaints to civic ward office and to MPCB have done little to change things.
3 min read
NG Suncity Phase 3 and Bhoomi Valley buildings are hardly 50 metres from the quarried hills and stone-crusher plants. (Source: Express Photo by Dilip Kagda)
Black smoke from chimneys outside their windows, air thick with carbon particles, soot-covered furniture and the relentless drone of rock crushers are what more than 1,000 residents of NG Suncity Phase 3 and Bhoomi Valley buildings in Kandivali’s plush Thakur Village area wake up to every morning.
Their buildings abutting the Sanjay Gandhi National Park stand barely 50 metres away from freshly quarried hills and stone-crusher plants as well as asphalt plants.
“These plants emit toxic and poisonous smoke. We have to constantly keep our windows shut to prevent bad odour, smoke and polluting particles from getting in. This is very harmful for homemakers and especially senior citizens and little children in our area,” alleged Maya Mishra, a resident of Bhoomi Valley. “When we go for a walk in the gardens in our area, some mornings, the smog is so intense that the purpose of a healthy walk is defeated.”
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Having bought into an offer of views of the 2,00,000 sq ft reserved garden plot and misty green hills facing the locality, the residents are now an unhappy lot.
“We now live inside the house with shut windows. Black soot that covers each inch of houses and we are left with a constant cough. These activities, which generally happened at night, have now intensified operations even during the day,” says Colonel Lokesh Midha, another resident.
Residents’ complaints to the civic ward office and to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board have done little to change things, they claim.
The ward officials said their hands are tied as the units have the requisite permissions from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. “We have given permission to these units only after they received the NOC from the MPCB,” the ward office responded in a letter to local corporator Yogesh Bhoir, who has now sought an explanation from MPCB for allowing these units so close to the residential buildings.
MPCB officials, despite a complaint from resident Lav Pandey a month ago, are yet to visit the location and take air pollution readings. “Investigation and monitoring has not yet started, but we will do so immediately. These structures are given permission with certain terms and conditions that they need to follow the norms. Such stone crushers need to have metal tin sheds and water sprinkling systems to curb the pollution. We will monitor the ambient air quality this week and take proper action,” said Amar Durgule, Regional Officer, MPCB.
anjali.lukose@expressindia.com
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