MPCB Issues Show-Cause Notices To Four RMC Plants In Wakad And Tathawade For Air Pollution Violations

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued show-cause notices to four ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants in Wakad and Tathawade for violating air pollution norms. The action follows multiple complaints from residents regarding worsening air quality and a protest on Mar 8.

Following The Free Press Journal’s report on Mar 8 about the deteriorating air quality in the area, MPCB’s sub-regional officer carried out an inspection and found that the plant owners had failed to install sprinklers or fogging systems. “We inspected the area and found that sprinklers were missing and no sheds were built for raw material storage,” said MPCB Regional Officer JS Salunkhe. The inspection also revealed that the plants had not constructed internal roads with cement, asphalt, or concrete, failed to provide treatment facilities for industrial effluents, and discharged untreated waste on the premises. The plant owners had not complied with the Consent to Operate conditions, lacked tree plantations, and were responsible for excessive dust emissions, contributing to air and water pollution.

Legal notices

Residents of Wakad, Tathawade, and Marunji had also served a legal notice on the district collector, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), MPCB, and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) over the issue, claiming that the air quality index (AQI) in Wakad had reached an alarming 300 in recent days.

“The companies have been given seven days to respond to the notices. If they fail to do so, legal action will be taken without further notice under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981,” an MPCB official said.