SLMP Asphalts at Billamaranahalli is run by a contractor who lays roads for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

It sprang up three years ago. Thanks to the efforts of the Vasant Vihar Army Residents’ Welfare Association, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is now on the verge of shutting it down. The factory owner, however, is seeking time.

Sister Celine, administrator of Katherine Niwas Senior Citizens’ Home, says senior citizens come to her centre for its peace and quiet. The home has been around for 25 years. “But during the night shift, the noise from the factory can be frightening,” she said.

The 65-acre Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) layout houses 425 villas. “The factory is located near us, and it affects our residents,” said Col Arun Holtore of AWHO. K S Narayana, who owns a villa opposite the factory, has been living there with his family for a year now. His wife and mother have been suffering from wheezing and respiratory ailments since they moved here.

Employed as head of defence and aerospace business at Arihant Electronics, he often works from home. “I get to experience all the problems first-hand. Trucks carrying raw material move in and out all the time and the roads bear the brunt of these heavy vehicles,” he said.

Sister Jacintha, vice-president of Katherine Public School, gets complaints from senior pupils about the pungent smell in the area.

“We have 652 students from Class I to X and I am worried about their health. Whenever they step out to play in the grounds, they are exposed to the pollution directly,” she said.

Maj Ramesh has been active in corresponding with the KSPCB and gathering support for the cause. “The factory not only makes the area uninhabitable, but it also makes the air toxic,” he said.

Ramesh, Environmental Officer, Regional Environment Office, Byatarayanapura (Yelahanka), told Express that the KSPCB had issued a ‘closure intention’ notice to the factory on April 23.

“We realised during inspection that the factory did not have a licence. Soon, we will issue a closure order under Section 31 (a) of Air Pollution Control Act,” he said.

After inspections and warnings were issued three months ago, the factory had stopped functioning. “However, it has started functioning again without our consent,” he said.

“As soon as we issue the closure orders, Bescom will disconnect the power supply,” Ramesh said. Factory owner B Umesh, however, says he needs time till August to shift his factory to Devanahalli. “It works only five days a week and does not work at night. There is absolutely no noise at all,” he claimed.