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Dombivli MIDC road turns red after drain water overflows; CM orders inquiry
After a road in Dombivli turned red on Tuesday purportedly because of untreated chemical effluents released into nullahs, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered
After a road in Dombivli turned red on Tuesday purportedly because of untreated chemical effluents released into nullahs, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered an injury.
He has directed state industries minister Subhash Desai and guardian minister of Thane Eknath Shinde to prepare a report.
Residents of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Dombivli were alarmed to see silt on the road and the overflowing nullahs were spewing red waste.
An official from Mantralaya, requesting anonymity, said, “In a meeting on Wednesday, the chief minister ordered an inquiry into the incident. He has directed the ministers to submit a report.”
Residents took to the social media to post photos of roads which had turned red. They alleged that chemical companies were releasing untreated effluents into drains.
On Wednesday, the gutter near along the road had reddish water flowing in it.
“The road near Tempo naka in MIDC phase 2 turned red. The civic workers are building a gutter on the stretch. The silt removed from the gutter might have spilled on the roads, turning them red,” said Raju Nalawade, social activist from Dombivli MIDC.
Commuters also complained of bad odour in the MIDC area.
“The stench is making it impossible for us to travel on the road. Such incidents are becoming usual in Dombivli MIDC. We want the authorities to shut the factories which operate without following any environment norms, “said Shraddha Gholap, 39, a resident of Khambalpada, Dombivli MIDC.
In September 2014, the roads in Dombivli MIDC had turned green. A food colour manufacturing factory was shut after it was found that its vehicles spilled color on the roads, creating panic among residents.
Dombivli MIDC has 250 chemical factories. The roads are maintained by MIDC.
As complaints from residents poured in, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) sent a team to find the cause of the road turning red.
An officer from MPCB, requesting anonymity, said, “We visited the spot and checked the road. Once the report is studied, action will be taken against factories flouting norms by discharging untreated effluents into drains.”
Regional officer of MPCB, Shankar Waghmare, did not respond to calls and text messages.
On Wednesday, Kalyan member of Parliament Shrikant Shinde met officials of pollution board and MIDC. He also urged the officials to give surprise visits to the factories and take strict action against those violating norms.
”We have started work on the gutter line on this stretch. When the silt from the gutter was removed and loaded into a truck, some of the silt fell on the road and spread as vehicles were plying on the road. This is the only cause of the reddish colour. We have cleaned the road with water,” said Dipak Patil, deputy engineer, MIDC
Earlier in December 2019, residents of Dombivli MIDC from areas like Khambalpada, 90 feet road in Thakurli and Patripool area of Kalyan complained of bad odour in the air leading to suffocation and illness among them.
