After award ceremony, debris dumping resumes at Kharghar’s Corporate Park

The ground was cleared of debris and encroachments to host Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony but it has returned to being a dumping ground for debris and encroachments are slowly taking over, claim residents.

Mumbai: The more than 150-acre Corporate Park in Kharghar, which was cleared of debris and encroachments to host Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony, has returned to being a dumping ground for debris and encroachments are slowly taking over, claimed residents.

After award ceremony, debris dumping resumes at Kharghar’s Corporate Park

Residents from adjacent high-rises have shot multiple videos of continuous movement of debris-laden vehicles within the park in Sector 34.

“Kharghar has become a hub for debris dumping mafia. Every vacant plot in the node is being dumped with debris and there is not a thing done by the planning authority, City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) nor by Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC),” said a resident.

“Prior to the visit of the Union home minister Amit Shah, there was massive cleaning work done here, but in a matter of just a month after the event, the situation is back to square one,” added the resident.

Massive arrangements were made as the Corporate Park was readied by the state government to host the Maharashtra Bhushan award, which was presented to social reformer Appasaheb Dharmadhikari on April 16, 2023.

An estimated 10 lakh people had attended the ceremony, which was marred by heat wave conditions and 14 attendees had succumbed to heat stroke. The tragedy sparked a major political controversy.

After the ceremony, the residents were planning to use the ground for recreational activities, however, illegal activities in the area have left them fuming.

What has shocked them is the brazenness with which such activities are carried out without any action being taken by the civic agencies. Illegal shops and eatery stalls have come up, making the area unsafe for the residents.

“My flat faces the park side and every day I can see a drastic increase in the number of vehicles dumping debris. This height of debris is now over eight feet and easily towers over a person,” said Divya Abroal, a resident.

“This activity is organised and they do not randomly dump debris. On many occasions, I have seen these trucks being guided by a person to the exact spot where the debris is to be dumped,” said Abroal adding that the activities have now extended towards the approach road to the park.

“The residential societies were excited after the cleaning of the plot and considered it ideal for walking and recreational activities for children. However, with the presence of these illegal settlements, even approaching the area has become a problem,” added Abroal.

Similar issues have cropped up in sector 35D of the node. Complaints have been filed with CIDCO regarding the blatant misuse of vacant plot no 56 in the sector.

“We are facing major harassment due to illegal settlements and debris dumping in a vacant plot situated within the residential area,” said a resident of Krishna Majesty Cooperative Housing Society.

“The occupants of these illegal shanties fight among each other every day and the plot has also become an ideal spot for unauthorised stone crushing operations. We have to deal with continuous sound pollution as well,” added the resident, who claimed to have been subjected to threats from the shanty dwellers for complaining about them to CIDCO.

Residents said that CIDCO ought to work out an action plan to stop this menace. “In March, there was a drive to remove these shanties, but the effort was wasted as within a matter of few hours, the illegal activities resumed. These shanties are operating as a shield to the illegal stone crushing activity,” added the resident.

When asked for a comment on the issue, Priya Ratambe, CIDCO chief PRO, said that she will inform the concerned authorities to look into the matter.