Locals plan PIL against sand mining

Vijay Singh / TNN / Apr 17, 2006, 00:42 IST

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At least 350 families are planning to seek legal intervention after getting a report in their favour from the MPCB.

NAVI MUMBAI: Unable to bear the noise and air pollution due to sand mining and ship repair work along Panvel river, Belapur residents have decided to file a public interest ;itigation against the state government for its failure to pay heed to their problems.
At least 350 families living in eight housing societies at Kille Gaothan in Belapur are planning to seek legal intervention after getting a report in their favour from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
MPCB member secretary D B Boralkar confirmed the noise and air pollution in the area, but added that he could only report the matter to the state environment department for further action.
"Following requests by the residents, MPCB officials visited Belapur in March to establish the levels of noise levels and air pollution at the Panvel river creek. There is a lot of activity going on there, including ship repair work, that causes problems for the residents,"said Boralkar.

The historic Bombay Gazetteer of 1882 has described Panvel river as a broad waterbody flowing a few miles adjacent to the Belapur Fort.
However, today the river is a sorry reflection of its original state, coloured by effluents and choked by rusty old boats.
Boralkar's note to the environment department stated, "Considering the repeated complaints of residents, it is proposed that directions under section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, should be issued by the state government to the Maharashtra Maritime Board and occupier of the said activities at Panvel creek."

A visit to Kille Gaothan, approximately 42 km away from CST in south Mumbai, reveals the hectic activities on the river's banks.
Nearly 300 truckloads of sand are transported from the river bank to construction sites on a daily basis. At night, the river is further polluted by the dry docking work to repair vessels.
"Around a decade back, this region was calm and green as there were plenty of trees and mangroves. That's the only reason why so many Mumbaikars bought houses in Belapur. However, there is no peace due to the exploitation of Panvel river,"said a harried resident.
The residents are now hoping for a favourable court directive based on the latest MPCB report. "The latest map of the region by the City & Industrial Development Corporation of India (CIDCO) clearly notifies Kille Gaothan as a residential zone.
So there is no way any other commercial activity can take place here based on the silly argument that they have been going on for years,"said Dr P R Arun of India Centre for Human Rights and Law (ICHRL).
Sumaira Abdulali, anti-noise pollution activist from Awaaz Foundation, said: "I have visited Belapur and experienced the high noise level near the river. This should not happen in an earmarked residential zone."
Environment minister and guardian minister of Navi Mumbai Ganesh Naik was not available for comment. Earlier, Naik had promised that he would "look into the matter".
The residents had also petitioned to Naik to stop sand dredging as the activity endangers the road bridge connecting Belapur and Uran. But now, their last hope is legal recourse.

About the Author

Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh covers Navi Mumbai. He also likes to write about wildlife, animal rights and varied human interest stories. He likes all kinds of music, but usually chills out with Hindi film songs and popular English numbers. His favourite poison is "cutting chai".

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