Environmentalists and citizen groups have raised serious concerns over the unchecked quarrying activities taking place on the Kharghar Hills, directly behind the Tata Cancer Hospital and dangerously close to the upcoming Kharghar-Turbhe tunnel.
In a recent letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, city-based environmental NGOs—NatConnect Foundation and the Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum—have questioned the rationale behind allowing quarry blasts in an ecologically sensitive and densely populated zone. The explosions generate massive dust clouds, which not only blanket the nearby residential areas (Sectors 30 to 35 and beyond), but also pose a severe threat to the Tata Cancer Hospital’s sensitive environment.
“The hospital houses state-of-the-art cancer treatment equipment that must operate in sterile conditions. The intrusion of dust in such a setting is extremely dangerous, especially for immunocompromised patients,” said B N Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation.
He further noted that the director of the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) had previously appealed to the government against the quarrying. While the activity had briefly ceased, activists now allege it has resumed with renewed intensity.
“Some days, the dust is so dense, the hills are barely visible,” said Jyoti Nadkarni, Convenor of the Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum. “What’s more alarming is that there’s a gram panchayat school situated close to the blast zone.”
The quarrying operations are taking place perilously close to Pandavkada Waterfalls, a natural attraction being promoted by the Forest Department as an eco-tourism destination. Activists warn that these blasts may also destabilize the hill structure where the Kharghar-Turbhe tunnel is currently under construction.
“This is not a complex geological mystery—we’ve seen landslides before in areas like Irshalgad and Parsik Hills. Do we need another disaster to take action?” Kumar questioned.
They also pointed out that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has made it mandatory to obtain environmental clearance for quarrying activities. “How then are the Kharghar quarries operating so freely?” Nadkarni asked.
Both NatConnect and Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan, which have previously campaigned to stop quarrying in the Parsik Hills, are now calling for a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) before any further blasting is allowed.
Referring to the repeated landslides in Himalayan regions caused by indiscriminate hill cutting for roadways, the activists warned that continuing quarrying in Kharghar could lead to similar disasters.
They have urged the state government to immediately halt quarrying activities in the area to protect both the fragile environment and the health of vulnerable populations.
