6 Chembur chemical cos made respondents in pollution case

Mumbai Mirror , Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Correspondent : Mustafa sheikh
National Green Tribunal has also directed Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to file a fresh comprehensive environment monitoring report for the area.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT, western zone) has named six industrial units in Mahul as respondents in a pollution-related case, for "generating particulate material and have stack or process emission". The six companies are BPCL Ltd, HPCL Ltd, Tata Power Ltd, Natural Oil Blending Ltd (NOBL) Chemical Terminal Trombay Ltd. (CTIL) and RCF Ltd. NGT has issued notices to these companies and they have to be represented in the next hearing in the case, which is on November 3.

NGT has also directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to investigate and file a fresh comprehensive environment monitoring report for villages in Mahul.

The move has come after the residents of Mahul and Ambapada villages in Chembur filed an affidavit to NGT in August, complaining against Sealord Containers, a chemical storage facility and Aegis Chemicals.

They termed the MPCB report about the matter as "vague" and suggested a new methodology to conduct further investigation. NGT also observed that MPCB's report suggested that contribution of a unit, Sealords Containers, towards causing pollution was "negligible", but negligible was not quantified or defined in the report.

The development has come as a relief for hundreds of residents, who have been suffering from various ailments, including breathlessness, asthma, nausea and allergies, due to the high level of pollution in the area.

A large number of hazardous industrial units are based in Mahul. At the same time, NGT has asked the civicrun KEM Hospital to analyse the MPCB report and submit the observations on health hazards to the residents.

NGT expressed dissatisfaction over the methodology used by MPCB, and directed them to take a more holistic approach.

MPCB's August report points fingers towards not only the two companies named in the affidavit, but also towards other companies in the vicinity.

For instance, the report says the level of air pollution near RCF's guest house as well as BPCL Sports Club is particularly high. The report also stated that though HPCL produced benzene, it did not have any aromatics storage or separation facility.

An affidavit was filed by residents of Chereshwar building in Mahul, who had approached NGT this April, because MPCB failed to take action against the chemical storage facility.

 
SOURCE : http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/6-Chembur-chemical-cos-made-respondents-in-pollution-case/articleshow/43836551.cms
 


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