Hardly a month after the MPCP is said to have taken action against 8 polluting companies in Taloja, ordering 4 to shut down, and issuing notices to the remaining ones, the pollution in Kharghar from Taloja is back.
Kharghar / Taloja / Navi Mumbai / PMC: Residents were just about getting used to the low amount of pollution in Kharghar and Taloja, after the supposedly prompt action taken by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) against companies in Taloja MIDC that had been found polluting the area, that the pollution has made a reappearance.
Through the said intervention by the MPCB, which was the result of the continuous pursuit of harried residents and local organisations, who had gone an extra mile, carrying out a stint during the wee hours to catch the companies in action, eight companies were caught hold of and reprimanded. Also, four of them were said to have been told to wrap up.
Also read: Kharghar and Taloja Pollution: Residents get temporary relief from pollution after MPCB intervention
Also read: Taloja Pollution: MPCB orders 4 polluting Taloja companies to shut down, issues notices to 4 others
Also read: Kharghar and Taloja battle with pollution again, thanks to Taloja industries
Residents had been hopeful that they had dealt with the issue for good as there had been minimal pollution in Kharghar and Taloja ever since the said intervention of MPCB. However, the pollution in Taloja is back and even more frequently than before.
Arun Jadhav, a resident of Taloja, shares, “There has been a very pungent and stinking smell doing the rounds during the wee hours, even afternoons and during the nights. And it is not just bad smell alone, it makes the eyes water and nose itchy leaving behind a burning sensation.”
The question that bothers residents now is that if the MPCB really took action against the companies violating the norms then are these new companies taking their place or the same companies that were left with a warning (four of them).
Suraj Sharma, a resident of Kharghar, expresses his distrust, “It is nothing more than a gimmick. If the administration really intended to take action then the pollution issues of Kharghar and Taloja would have been minimized. Has that happened? Not at all!”
“The problem continues like before after short breaks. The administration and the MPCB is not bothered at all. They just make an appearance when people get angry and come on the streets in protest.”
“The authorities come up with sugar-coated promises and the all-season “Will-look-into-the-matter lollypop” and the people fall for the sweetness every other time,” he adds.
Many people have been regretting their decision of buying properties in Taloja and Kharghar. What’s worse is that they are not in a condition to sell off or even continue living amid the daily pollution.
Our (LoaclPress.in) opinion
We have a first-hand experience of the pollution in Kharghar and Taloja as we are located in the same vicinity since years. We know for a fact that uprooting the entire industrial belt would not be possible soon but the administration can at least take some willing initiative to try and diffuse the situation. It is very disappointing to see that the concerned authority never intervenes unless residents are in a state of begging. What disappoints even more is the fact that nothing much has changed over the years and every time there is a new promise like action against one or two violating companies or news about installing Continuous Ambient Air Quality (CAAQ) monitoring station etc.
In plain word – these are never solve the problem at all and everybody knows it. So the concerned authorities need to own up their responsibility and do something for the general good.
Last Updated on November 25, 2020 by lp@admin
