Bhiwandi Air Pollution Row Intensifies: BJP Corporator Warns Of Locking Civic Headquarters If Polluters Go Unpunished
· Free Press Journal
Bhiwandi, June 4: Escalating concerns over deteriorating air quality in Bhiwandi have triggered a sharp political response, with BJP corporator Sneha Patil issuing a stern warning to the civic administration and pollution regulators.
Patil has demanded immediate criminal action against industries allegedly responsible for severe environmental violations and warned of a large-scale public agitation, including a symbolic lockdown of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC), if corrective measures are not initiated without delay.
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During a meeting in Mumbai with Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) Chairman Siddhesh Kadam, Patil submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting what she described as an “environmental emergency” in the city.
The memorandum accused several dyeing and sizing units, along with bead manufacturing factories, of continuously emitting hazardous pollutants and violating environmental norms with impunity.
Criminal action sought
According to the complaint, factory chimneys across industrial clusters are releasing toxic smoke round the clock, while several units are allegedly burning dangerous chemical waste, plastic scrap, plywood residues and other prohibited materials as fuel in place of approved alternatives.
Patil claimed that these practices have significantly contributed to the alarming deterioration in air quality, with the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reportedly crossing the 333 mark, placing it in the “very poor” category.
"The situation has reached a point where children, senior citizens and people with respiratory ailments are struggling to breathe. Residents are being forced to live in an environment that poses a serious threat to public health," the memorandum stated.
Questions over enforcement
Patil further alleged that despite repeated complaints, local officials of the Pollution Control Board have failed to take stringent action against violators.
She questioned how industries allegedly flouting environmental regulations continue to operate without facing serious penalties and demanded that such units be shifted to the “red category” and sealed until compliance is ensured.
The BJP corporator also levelled serious allegations against the civic administration, claiming that Bhiwandi’s 75-metric-tonne-per-day solid waste processing facility exists only on paper and remains non-functional.
She further alleged that the municipal corporation has not released a mandatory Environmental Status Report (ESR) since 2022, depriving citizens of critical information regarding the city’s environmental health.
Warning of agitation
Raising concerns over monitoring mechanisms, Patil claimed that air quality monitoring systems in the city have either remained non-operational or have not been effectively utilised.
According to her, the lack of transparency and enforcement has enabled polluting industries to continue operations unchecked while citizens bear the consequences.
"People cannot be left to suffer in toxic air while authorities remain silent spectators. If strict action is not taken against pollution mafias and negligent officials within the next few days, we will launch a mass movement under the banner of ‘Remove Corrupt Officials, Lock the Municipal Corporation'," Patil warned.
Pollution crisis under scrutiny
Her remarks come at a time when Bhiwandi has been facing increasing scrutiny over environmental concerns, particularly air pollution linked to industrial activities, construction dust and waste management issues.
With the complaint now formally submitted to the MPCB Chairman, attention will be on the state pollution watchdog’s response and whether enforcement agencies initiate action against the alleged violators.
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