Work at Metro car shed site spewing too much dust: Environment activist

The service road near the Kanjurmarg Metro car depot site is covered with mud

With the development body Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority starting work on the Metro car depot at Kanjurmarg, a city-based green activist has expressed health concerns over the large amount of dust filling the air in the area.

Stalin D, who had rallied for the shifting of the car depot from its earlier proposed site at Aarey to Kanjurmarg on environmental grounds, has appealed to MMRDA to check the air pollution. The new construction site is close to the Eastern Express Highway.

Stalin, who is associated with NGO Vanashakti, said the service road has a layer of mud and a lot of dust can be seen in a radius of a few hundred metres around the site. The stretch of the highway looks hazy and has poor visibility, which is causing problems for motorists, he said. The activists said the dumpers moving in and out of the site are causing the air pollution as they spill mud on the service road.

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"This is to seek your intervention to stop air pollution in Kanjurmarg. The MMRDA is constructing the Metro car sheds in the open land adjoining the highway. The entire service road is coated with a thick layer of mud and high levels of dust is seen in about 200-300 metres around the site. The Eastern Express Highway is witnessing fog-like conditions with extremely low visibility due to circulating dust particles," reads his letter.

The air pollution is a health hazard for the personnel working at the site, those living in the area and motorists using the busy highway, he said. "The helpless policemen sitting outside the site are inhaling horrible amounts of dust daily. Please issue directions and also ensure that dust control measures are in place like sprinklers and tankers at the entrance to the site on the service road. Please take immediate action," reads his letter.

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