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Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation pays ₹8-crore fine for polluting water bodies
Following a 2017 directive by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Taloja last week deposited a fine of ₹8
Following a 2017 directive by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Taloja last week deposited a fine of ₹8 crore to the Raigad collector for releasing untreated waste into nearby water bodies. MIDC will also cut the water supply by 50% of those industrial units which release toxic effluents in water bodies.
Rajesh Zanazad, MIDC nodal officer, said, “We have paid the fine amount directed by the NGT and the water supply to major industrial units has been curtailed by 50% as per the directive. The units have also been asked to monitor their chemical treatment plant and its discharge.”
Satish Shetty, president of Taloja Industries Association (TIA), said, “We have assured MIDC that we’ll take measures to reduce pollutant discharge. The construction of a new pipeline to replace the current one is also underway.”
According to activists, many units in the area have not set up a common effluent treatment plant (CETP), owing to which untreated industrial waste is being released into the Kasadi and Ghot rivers. They also claim that the pipelines, through which the discharge takes place, are ruptured at several points, leading to leakages.
In 2017, Taloja corporator and activist Arvind Mahatre had moved the NGT, highlighting the large amount of untreated pollutants being discharged in the nearby water bodies. Following the petition, MIDC was asked to pay a fine of ₹5 crore, which was revised to ₹8 crore this month, after it failed to pay the penalty on time. “The total fine was paid only after NGT threatened to hold the salaries of MIDC’s chief executive officer and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board officials. They have also ensured that further discharge would be done as per green norms. Before this, they never paid heed to the instructions,” said Mahatre.
Priyan Roy, a resident, is studying the chemical impact on soil and water. “Chemicals such as lead, sulphate and mercury need to be separated from the discharge at an early stage, as these chemicals enter the food chain and impact our health as well. The areas in the vicinity have been largely affected and it is difficult to reverse the situation. Hence, an effluent treatment plant is necessary,” he said.
Residents of 12 villages around Taloja have welcomed the move. “Ground water has been polluted and there is stench in the premises. So we welcome the development,” said Dhiren Patil, 59, a resident of Padgha Gaon.
