FIR against Taloja CETP Board for pollution

Mumbai: The Taloja police station has registered a first information report against the board of directors of Taloja’s Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) for violation of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) norms.

During state environment minister Ramdas Kadam’s visit to the industrial site on November 9, it was found that the CETP was closed and the industrial effluents were directly being discharged into the Kasardi river near Kharghar without any treatment by the Taloja CETP.

Earlier in August, a stray dog turned blue in Kharghar due to chemical effluents from an industrial unit in Taloja. The MPCB has filed a case against the CETP members including the chairman, 10 directors and the manager. “The FIR has been filed under sections 277, 278, 432 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Water Act on Thursday. We are investigating the matter and arrests will be made accordingly,” said Rajesh Jadhav, assistant inspector, Taloja police station. The sections of the

IPC under which the case has been booked deal with fouling water from a public reservoir, making the atmosphere noxious to health, and mischief by causing obstruction to public drainage.

According to MPCB officials, water samples from the Taloja creek were found to contain hazardous pollutants after which the MPCB issued notices to the CETP. J.S. Hazare, sub-regional officer of MPCB stated that despite several notices, the CETP did nothing on the matter, which forced the MPCB to register a police complaint.