RMC plant creates dust pollution havoc on Chandivali road

Tired of the civic body’s inaction, the residents on Monday evening reached the RMC plant and requested the manager to follow all the norms

MUMBAI: The BMC’s air pollution mitigation measures, which include washing 584 km of roads across the city, have made no impact in a certain locality of Chandivali, where residents live in the vicinity of a Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) plant. The inhabitants of two buildings, Palatial Height and Shapoorji Pallonji Vicinia, and the local citizen’s association have alleged that the surface of Chandivali Farm Road towards Sangharsh Nagar and the air there are heavy with dust because of the trucks leaving from the plant.

Mumbai, India - Nov 20, 2023 : Residence in a Huge problem for an Air Pollution at Chandivali, in Mumbai, India, Monday, Nov 20, 2023. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

Tired of the civic body’s inaction, the residents on Monday evening reached the RMC plant and requested the manager to follow all the norms. They also recorded videos of vehicles leaving the RMC plant without being cleaned as mandated by BMC and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) guidelines.

Locals said it was difficult to stand on the road for more than five minutes due to the cement dust saturating the air. “It is impossible to even step out on the balcony,” said general physician Surekha Singh, a resident of Shapoorji Pallonji Vicinia. “After multiple complaints to the BMC and MPCB, the RMC plant added a green cloth in some parts but that has not made much difference. After we posted videos and photos, the plant began operations at night, which is not allowed, and dust would be released at night instead of daytime.”

Singh, an asthma patient, said the pollution from the RMC plant had made it difficult to live there. “I have been seeing many patients suffering from coughs and other lung problems in the past few months,” she said.

Businessman Vivek Singh, a resident of Palatial Height, said the dust on the road was not cleaned by either the BMC or the staff of the RMC plant. “We have witnessed bikes skid on the road due to this cement dust, sand and stones (used in RMC plants) accumulated on the road,” he said. “Much earlier, for a brief period, water used to be sprinkled on the road by the plant managers, giving some respite, but that too has stopped. People standing at a nearby bus stop are the worst affected—every passing vehicle sends clouds of cement dust into the air.”

According to the Chandivali Citizens’ Welfare Association (CCWA),the BMC’s air pollution mitigation guidelines have made absolutely no difference. “We have been sending letters to the BMC and MPCB on behalf of various housing societies for months,” said Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder member of CCWA. “We sent a letter with more than 150 signatures in February and followed it up with constant reminders as well as pictures and videos on social media. However, no action has been taken to date.”

Makkar said that despite the BMC’s new guidelines, the area had not received any relief. “The BMC talks about road cleaning with high-tech machines and sprinkling water in various areas,” he said. “We have never seen that machine or any anti-pollution measures here. Are we not Mumbai residents?”

Dhanaji Herlekar, assistant commissioner of L Ward, claimed that the BMC was taking constant action against all offenders. “We have even issued a notice to the RMC plant,” he said. “We have collected a penalty of ₹86,000 till now from such nuisance creators in the area. Our action against them will continue.”