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Burning of municipal waste in eco-sensitive area: Thane civic body files FIR

Thane Municipal Corporation assures of cleaning up the waste.

Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has now registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown persons over incidents of waste burning. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

Days after local residents and environment activists raised complaints of alleged illegal dumping of municipal waste and trash burning in the ecologically sensitive area of Gaimukh Naka – with the Vasai Creek on one side and Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on another side – the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has now registered an FIR against unknown persons over incidents of waste burning. The affected area falls under the jurisdiction of TMC.

When contacted, Manish Joshi, Deputy Commissioner, Solid Waste Department, TMC, said, “The burning of the waste there could be because of some natural or artificial cause that the corporation is not associated with. We have filed an FIR in the incineration matter.”
He clarified that the waste was only temporarily stored at the site and will be picked up soon. “The site is used only to store the solid waste temporarily due to some unforeseen circumstances and we will also ensure that the waste is collected and disposed of properly in the coming days,” Joshi said.

A senior official from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) told The Indian Express that they have taken note of the issue after several complaints and issued TMC a letter to look into the matter.

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Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) also took note of the issue after several complaints and issued TMC a letter to look into the matter. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

Experts said that since the area falls under forest land, coastal regulation zones, mangrove buffer areas and also within national park boundaries, the dumping and burning of waste are a breach of environmental legislations.

City-based activist Stalin D, Convenor, Vanashakti, had earlier raised objections after visiting the location and documenting evidence of waste being dumped, set on fire and pushed into the creek. “There is absolutely no visible boundary that separates forest or park limits here. What we see is rampant destruction of protected zones by the authorities themselves,” he said.

“The Thane Municipal Corporation has shown blatant disregard for the seriousness of the issue, earning a reputation for reckless dumping and burning of waste. Despite the toxic emissions, both TMC and other agencies remain silent and inactive,” Stalin added, seeking criminal action against the corporation’s chief engineer (solid waste management).

“For a few months now, we have witnessed this dumping which fills in the creek area, wildlife like monkeys feeding over it and trash burnt. This has added up to the existing air pollution across the Ghodbunder road and accounts for air, soil and water pollution all at once,” a local resident said on the condition of anonymity.

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This is not the first instance when this specific site has been ‘illegally’ used for dumping. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

This is the second instance when this specific site has been ‘illegally’ used for dumping. A similar attempt, almost a decade ago, was stopped following action by the forest department. In the latest instance, according to the complainants, the allegedly illegal practice resumed without any regulatory action.

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