Oil adulterators booked under environment act

The diesel adulterators rounded by the Mumbai police during raids on the oil mafia after the brutal murder of Nashik additional collector Yashwant Sonawane, were booked under the Environment Protection Act (EPA) on Tuesday.

The diesel adulterators rounded by the Mumbai police during raids on the oil mafia after the brutal murder of Nashik additional collector Yashwant Sonawane, were booked under the Environment Protection Act (EPA) on Tuesday.

HT Image

On February 6, the Hindustan Times had reported that the adulterating units were polluting the Mithi river.

“We booked the adulterators under the EPA keeping in mind the grave environmental damage they are causing to the river,” Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police, crime, told HT.

Roy said they have also written to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to take samples of water from the banks close to these units and conduct tests.

“We have urged them to dismantle these illegal units if the test results came positive for environmental hazard or pollution,” he said.

In January, senior crime branch officers, including Roy, had inspected the godowns set up by the oil mafia in Shastri Nagar area in Kurla — on the banks of the Mithi.

They had found that hazardous residues from these godowns were being dumped into the river.

“The residues are very hazardous,” Roy said, adding that the premises had been sealed following the raid.

Under the EPA, the accused face five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs5 lakh if proven guilty.