Greens urge CM to halt quarrying at K'ghar Hills
NatConnect Foundation and Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum have written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, challenging the authorisation of hill blasting that produces harmful dust clouds affecting the Tata Hospital premises and residential areas from Sectors 30 to 35, extending to the developing Taloja residential area.
Despite years of complaints, the issue remained unad-dressed. When contacted, pollution control authorities said they are implementing measures to deal with the situation.
Responding to the complaints, Fadnavis has directed Raigad district collector to probe into the issue.
B N Kumar, NatConnect director, emphasised concerns about dust affecting sensitive cancer treatment equipment. "It is unimaginable to have dust particles in the air when cancer patients are treated here," Kumar added.
Although Tata Hospital officials' previous complaints resulted in a brief suspension, Jyoti Nadkarni, convenor of Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum, said intensive blasting recommenced.
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"Sometimes the hills become invisible due to the heavy dust clouds," she said, pointing out that a gram panchayat school is located close to the hills.
The quarrying locations are near Pandavkada waterfalls, a forest department eco-tourism project. Nadkarni said the ongoing Kharghar-Turbhe link road tunnel construction could face risks from continued quarrying.
Environmental groups cited previous landslides at Irshlawadi and Parsik Hills to demonstrate quarrying dangers.
They also noted National Green Tribunal requirements for environmental clearance and questioned Kharghar quarries' authorisation. Kumar advocated thorough environmental impact assessments before allowing such activities.
The activists also referenced recent Himalayan landslides caused by road construction blasting as a warning, calling for immediate stoppage of Kharghar quarrying. A resident, Suraj Srinivasan, said, "Apart from blasting, poor visibility in the morning hours has been a nightmare for us. Pollution has become the flash point in this node which has a huge population."
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