Andheri residents claim Veera Desai Estate is hotspot for illegal debris dumping

Amid Chief Minister Eknath Shindersquos citywide deep cleaning initiative Veera Desai Industrial Estate in Andheri has become a hotspot for illegal debris dumping raising concerns among locals who are grappling with escalating environmental and health hazardsThe illegal dumping site opposite Crest Mukta Building has turned into a breeding ground for discontent as over 50 trucks laden with debris flood the area between 7 am and 10 am daily and empty their contents on the plot Residents local shop owners and commuters are now faced with an onslaught of dust and pollutants leading to a growing sense of frustrationConstruction debris is dumped on the plot at Veera Desai Industrial Estate in Andheri West PicPrasun ChoudhariThis reporter visited the site on Friday and Sunday to witness the alarming scale of the problem Despite the evident environmental impact and complaints from locals the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has not addressed the issue The lack of intervention has left everyone questioning the efficacy of the BMCrsquos responsiveness and raised concerns about the potential longterm consequences of unchecked illegal dumpinglsquoBMC just standing byrsquoLocals have taken it upon themselves to alert the BMC about the illegal dumping activities providing evidence of the escalating problem through letters However the absence of any visible response from the civic body has fuelled frustrations prompting residents to seek urgent actionldquoI wrote to the K West ward office about this issue on December 29 2023 but no action has been taken The dumping of debris raises an ample amount of dust making it difficult for regular commuters to see long distances At the end of the day one can see a layer of dust formed on the roadsrdquo said Kushal Dhuri a commuterA local shopkeeper requesting anonymity due to the fear of consequences his business would face said ldquoInitially we thought that a construction project was taken up at the site Later as we saw the trucks coming in every day for more than six months we realised that no such work was going on thererdquoAnother shopkeeper requesting anonymity said ldquoWe are not sure what goes on inside the plot We just see trucks filled with debris going inside and when they come out they are empty The only thing visible inside the plot is a JCB machine which works continuously as each truck enters and empties its load We are facing a lot of dustrelated issues The site has started functioning during the COVID period and every day more than 50 trucks come and empty the debris here What happens to the dumped debris none of us knowrdquoActivistSpeakAdvocate Godfrey Pimenta a civic rights activist said ldquoAuthorities have become ignorant Whatever the public redressal grievance system it is rarely followed This results in violators carrying out their activities freely without any objections from the authoritiesrdquoHe added ldquoI have written an email to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board MPCB regarding the illegal debris dumping issuerdquoHis email read ldquoWe are writing to bring to your attention a grave environmental concern that has been persistently affecting the residents of Crest Mukta Building on Veera Desai Road Since March 2020 the residents have been grappling with severe respiratory issues due to the daily dumping of construction debris in front of their building Numerous trucks transport debris from various construction sites to this location resulting in not only daily air pollution but also the accumulation of a significant amount of debris on Veera Desai Road Despite repeated complaints lodged with the K West ward office there has been a blatant lack of action against the air polluters Distressingly the K West ward office has become notorious for its inaction against such environmental offendersrdquoThe email demanding immediate action by the CPCB MPCB and BMC officials continued ldquoIn light of the seriousness of this matter we demand the immediate intervention of the concerned BMC and MPCB officials We urge you to address this issue on a war footing taking necessary steps to curb the daily dumping of debris and enforce strict measures against those responsible for causing air pollution in the area The health and wellbeing of the residents are at stake and swift action is crucial to mitigate the adverse effects of this environmental hazardrdquoA letter written by Kushal Dhuri in Marathi addressed to Deputy Municipal Commissioner Prithviraj Chauhan of BMC K West ward stated ldquoLocals and people commuting to work in the area are facing a lot of issues due to the dust rising in the air There are chances of air pollution increasing due to thisrdquomidday tried contacting Chauhan but the deputy municipal commissioner of K West ward did not respond to this reporterrsquos calls or messages by press time7amTime dumping begins50No of trucks that dump debris daily at spot