Dynamite blasting to resume for Dahisar hub after 2-month halt despite residents’ concerns

Blasting at the project site stopped on June 2 after HT reported concerns raised by residents and housing societies adjoining the site over persistent noise

Mumbai: After more than two months of silence at the ₹1,481-crore Dahisar Transportation Hub site, dynamite blasting is set to resume, but residents living next to the project fear the return of the noise and vibrations that had triggered cracks in their buildings. Municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide has cleared the work with additional safeguards recommended after an IIT Bombay assessment, civic officials said.

Mumbai, India - Sept. 12, 2024: A view of the Dahisar Octroi Naka in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, September 12, 2024. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Blasting at the project site stopped on June 2 after HT reported concerns raised by residents and housing societies adjoining the site over persistent noise and vibrations and allegations that cracks had appeared in their buildings and flats. The BMC then commissioned IIT Bombay to assess whether the blasting posed a risk to nearby structures.

The Dahisar Transportation Hub is an upcoming multimodal transit and commercial complex being built by the BMC at the defunct Dahisar Octroi Naka on the Western Express Highway. The complex, aimed at reducing traffic congestion at one of Mumbai’s key entry points, is scheduled to be completed over the next two years.

The assessment, carried out on June 20, found no risk to neighbouring buildings, according to civic officials. Residents, however, questioned the findings and are not convinced that the revised blasting method will eliminate the nuisance.

Under the new method, the contractor will reduce the number and intensity of simultaneous blasts. A senior BMC official said around 25 holes had earlier been used at a time, with different bore diameters. The contractor will now use only five holes at a time and reduce the bore diameter.

“We will now limit the number of simultaneous blasts to about one-fifth of the previous amount; earlier, we used about 25 holes for dynamite and blasting, but now we will only fill five holes at a time, in addition to reducing the bore diameter that caused significant echo. When concerns came to us, we already reduced the bore size from 150 mm to 80 mm and further,” the official said.

But residents said the issue was not simply the blasting technique but whether the new safeguards would actually be followed.

“We do not trust the contractor or the monitors they have installed. They have promised to change the blasting method, but who will ensure they are actually following it? We have already issued a legal notice. If the work continues and the nuisance persists, we will approach the court and seek a stay in the coming two weeks,” said Mahadev Gondlekar, chairperson of Madhuban Cooperative Housing Society in Dahisar East, who has spearheaded the campaign against dynamite blasting for the hub.

Gondlekar said residents had issued a legal notice and could approach the court for a stay within the next two weeks if the nuisance continued. They have also demanded a joint monitoring committee comprising BMC officials, IIT representatives, the contractor and representatives from the residents.

“Our only concern is the nuisance and vibrations. If those problems are not resolved, then we are back to square one. There should be a joint committee of all stakeholders to monitor the situation. We also want clarity on the credibility, calibration and number of meters being used and how they will be mapped,” he further said.

Ketan Mehta, another Madhuban resident, alleged that the blasting method demonstrated during the IIT team’s visit was different from the one used earlier.

“They have misled IIT. What was demonstrated before IIT was different,” he alleged and called the process flawed.

“Who would be responsible if further blasting caused damage to our buildings?” Mehta questioned.

The BMC is also exploring plasma technology as a possible alternative to dynamite, which could reduce noise and vibrations further. “For now MC (municipal commissioner) has allowed us to resume our work, and all efforts will be taken to make sure there is no nuisance caused to residents,” a senior official said.