Following repeated complaints and letter correspondence, Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray on Monday met residents of Govandi led by Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi to discuss their demands of shifting SMS envoclean, a biomedical treatment plant in Deonar to a non-residential area outside Mumbai. Officials are now considering shifting the biomedical treatment plant to Khalapur within a month's time.
The officials said they will look into the decision, survey the said region before taking a final decision to shift the plant.
Meanwhile, Farhan Azmi, Abu Azmi's son took to Twitter to declare the outcome of the meeting. He Tweeted: "Finally after long struggle SMS ENVOCLEAN Biowaste Co. in Deonar ordered to be shifted to Khalapur within a month."
Aaditya Thackeray too tweeted the photos of the meeting.
Residents of Govandi had sent a legal notice to Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on September 11 for allegedly failing to take action against a biomedical treatment plant in Deonar.
In a reply to the legal notice sent by the Govandi residents for failing to act against the biomedical treatment facility for allegedly releasing harmful pollutants in the form of thick black smoke, MPCB did not report any 'non-compliance'.
The residents have been alleging that it has led to diseases like tuberculosis, asthma, and blood cancer and have asked the board to form a technical committee to study this issue thoroughly.
" We had sent a legal notice to MPCB, we want them to take action against the company. We want this company to be shifted to some other non-residential area in the city or outside the city. It has been affecting us, the health of residents has been deteriorating. It is a piece of good news that the state environment minister has shown interest in our problems and is willing to help us. We heard about them considering to shift the plant to Khalapur, but it would be worth celebrating only when we get an order to the effect," said Shaikh Faiyaz Alam.
