Shift Thane garbage recyling plant 8212; NEERI

MUMBAI, JULY 30: It took three months and Rs 4.25 lakh for National Environment Engineering Research Institute NEERI to confirm what ov...

MUMBAI, JULY 30: It took three months and Rs 4.25 lakh for National Environment Engineering Research Institute NEERI to confirm what over 1.5 lakh residents of Thane have been claming all along. Confirming that foul odour emanated from the garbage recycling plant located behind MIDC, Thane east, the NEERI report submitted on Thursday recommended shifting of the plant away from human settlement.

Angry residents of the area had set up a sangharsh samiti after failing to elicit any response from the Thane Municipal Corporation to their complaints about headache, dizziness and nausea during the evenings. However, Excel Industries Leaf Biotech, which runs the plant, denied that it had anything to do with the foul smell. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board too was clueless about the source of the smell.

A pet project of MP Prakash Paranjape Sena the garbage recycling plant was set up amid much fanfare a year ago. Thane generates around 750 tonnes of garbage daily. Of this 300 tonnes are givento the fertilser project. As a temporary measures, NEERI has suggested that only 50 tonnes of garbage be processed daily to reduce the smell.

TMC Commissioner T S Chandrashekhar said, quot;We are considering the unpopulated areas in Ghodbunder and Khidkali to shift the project.quot;

However, the shifting may take a long time. quot;We can8217;t be expected to live with the problem any longer,quot; complained Jaya Iyer one of the residents adding, quot;almost all residents shut windows in the evening to prevent the smell.quot; According to her even lighting incense sticks does not mask it.

3 drug smugglers held at Dombivli

Three persons were arrested and three sacks filled with marijuana was seized from the Ramnagar slums at Dombivli on Thursday.

On a tip-off the police laid a trap near the Patharli naka and nabbed Kaamil B Mistry Ansari 33, Narayan Singh Radho Parmar 35 and Buwa Badawat 30. Raw marijuana weighing 18 kgs and estimated to cost Rs 27,000 was recovered the trio, according to Assistant PI ChandrasenJadhav who is investigating the case.