PANOLI, Nov 4: The railway station here can do without a name. Several km before the train pulls into Panoli, an obnoxious, unmistakable smell greets passengers, including those travelling in air-conditioned coaches. But while travellers merely have to hold their breath till they pass through Panoli and Sanjali, the thousands of people who live here have, over the years, learnt to be indifferent to the heaps of solid waste and unpotable drinking water. It's only when the stink becomes unbearable or visibility near-zero that they react - violently.As they did 10 days ago, when breathing became difficult and vehicle headlights had a hard time penetrating the smog. ``From 7 pm to 10 pm, nothing was visible. We panicked. Then a whole lot of us went to the unit responsible and pelted it with stones'', says Azizbhai Lathi. The unit was forced to stop operations.``More such incidents will occur'', warns Hasimbhai Ismailbhai Bhaiyat, a Sanjali contractor. ``Last year, villagers got together against a unit releasing gas in the afternoon. It was given 45 days to clean up its act. When the day-time pollution level failed to come down, we laid siege on the unit. Eventually, its water and electricity connections were cut off.'' That the message has gone home is evident from what an office-bearer of the Panoli Industries' Association says: ``We're afraid that people will target us one day with their hockey-sticks. The alarm bells are already ringing.''PIA president B S Patel, however, insists that the relationship with the villagers is cordial. ``We don't expect any trouble from them'', he says. ``I don't say there's no pollution, though it's insignificant when compared to Asia's biggest estate at Ankleshwar. But we are taking effective steps, like fining erring units upto Rs 50,000.'' However, villagers aren't the only ones with complaints. The Gujarat Industrial Development Association, too, has alleged that acidic effluent released by the Panoli units had damaged the sewers.That pollution is a part of life at Panoli is evident from what the PIA office-bearer had to say. Talking to Express Newsline on condition of anonymity, he is candid about the nexus between industrialists - particularly, those in the chemical business - and officials of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board. ``Members of the raiding party actually alert of the guards of the targeted units with laser signals'', he reveals, mocking the joint PIA-GPCB monitoring.``Panoli is worse than any other industrial estate'', admits GPCB member-secretary G B Soni, while refuting charges that no official action was being taken against the polluting units. To the GIDC allegations, he replies, ``(Such charges) have to be backed by proof.''Incidentally, recession has hit the Panoli industries hard: Less than 50 per cent of the estate's units are functioning today. Of these, around 10 per cent are guilty of acute pollution, says Bhaiyat. ``We have a list of 24 such units, and are planning to take to the streets against them. The plans will be finalised after we hold a meeting with the PIA and the GPCB.''
