The campaign started after a fire incident at a chemical factory and due to rising levels of pollution in the area
Ambernath locals are worried about their safety after a fire in a chemical factory in the recent past. Residents' concern over security, rising levels of pollution due to close proximity with dumping grounds and the negligence of authorities have resulted in them starting a campaign to dissuade homebuyers from buying houses in Ambernath, Badlapur, Ulhasnagar, and so on.
The fire occurred in an Ambernath-based chemical factory on November 5. Soon after the incident, locals took to social media to make prospective homebuyers aware of the deplorable conditions they live in.
"Pollution in Ambernath is a daily affair. There is a dumping ground in the middle of the township which causes 80 per cent of the pollution. The pollution further leads to respiratory ailments in people," Dhananjay Moolya, a 43-year-old resident of Navrenagar in Ambernath said.
"Due to political influence and initiative of realtors, real estate projects keep coming up in the area. Our lives have already been spoilt but, we do not want others to come here and suffer," he said.
Born in Ambernath, Moolya said pollution in the city has doubled over the years with an increase in population and also because of MIDC's presence. "Only last week we learnt that factories in MIDC release effluents into nullahs without treating them. Poisonous gases emitted from these effluents lead to respiratory problems," Moolya said.
Satyajit Burman, president of the Ambernath citizens' forum (ACF) and a resident, said that two dumping grounds in the east and the west of the town are always set on fire; this leads to pollution and breathing problems.
"People cannot breathe due to the fire at dumping grounds and builders go around calling this smog as fog from Matheran," Burman further said.
The residents are tired of complaining to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and to local authorities.
Hence, the disillusioned residents took to social media to give vent to their anger.
"We are making posts on social media accounts of property portals asking people to refrain from buying homes in Ambernath, Badlapur, Ulhasnagar and even in Dombivli or Kalyan,"Moolya said. "We will also go to court if need be," he added.
On being contacted, Devidas Pawar, CO (chief officer), Ambernath Municipal Council, assured that the township will be free of pollution in the next six months. "We have bought a 33-acre-plot in Chikhloli to carry out scientific land filling with the state's due approval. We will issue tenders in the next 15 days and scientific waste management will shift to Chikhloli," Pawar said. "I assure that residents will get respite from pollution in the next six months," he said.
He also said that guards have been posted outside the current landfill site to ensure that nobody sets garbage on fire.
AN UNINHABITABLE PLACE
- Locals say that a dumping ground in the middle of the township causes 80 per cent of the pollution
- The pollution leads to respiratory problems. They said that factories emit effluents into nullahs without treatment
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