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LEGAL




           MAGZTER/TEHELKA               APP/TEHELKA                  /TEHELKA                     @TEHELKA

                                                                                                                             he landmark deci-  AT LAST, JUSTICE LANDS AT                        storage tank, the Aegis
                   TOP STORIES FROM THE MAGAZINE                                                                             sion of National                                                    Chemical Solutions Com-
                                                                                                                             Green Tribunal,                                                     pany releases polluted water
                                                                                                                             ordering the               MUMBAI’S DOOR                            into the sea. The residents of
                                  AMRITSAR TRAIN TRAGEDY:                            RESTORE GLORY OF CBI AS         T shutdown of Aegis                                                         Mahul-Ambapada have com-
                                                                                                                     Chemical Solutions and Sea
                                                                                                                                                                                                 plained about the dwindling
                                  DIRTY POLITICS OVER THE                            ‘THE CAGED PARROT’ LOSES        Lord Containers has come                                                    population of fishes along
                                  DEAD                                               EVEN THE CAGE                   as a great relief to the Mahul   Mahul and Ambapada residents of Mumbai get   the coasts in the vicinity and
                                  Even two weeks after                               The public expects              residents.                a sigh of relief as National Green Tribunal orders   put the onus for this on the
                                  the Amritsar tragedy,                              highest standard                  The hapless people of   closure of Aegis Chemical Solutions and Sea Lord   company. Recently, the raid
                                  the political offensive                            from the premier.               the twin localities — Mahul   Containers, writes MANMOHAN SINGH NAULA       conducted by the State PCB
                                                                                                                     and Ambapada, right in
                                                                                                                                                                                                 under Environment Minister
                                  mounted by the SAD-                                The Narendra Modi               the heart of cosmopolitan                                                   Ramdas Kadam’s steward-
                                  BJP refuses to die down,                           government has the              Mumbai had literally put                                                    ship found that the untreated
                                  while the government                               opportunity to take             everything at stake in order                                                effluents were directly
                                  continues to provide                               steps to improve CBI’s          to win the court battle against                                             released into the sea. The raid
                                  relief to the victims.                             efficiency and integrity,       the poison spewing Aegis                                                    also noticed that there wasn’t
                                  Raju William writes                                notes Charanjit Ahuja           Chemical Solutions and                                                      any effluent treatment plant
                                                                                                                     Sea Lord Containers. Their                                                  which processes the water
                                                                                                                     ten-year-long and painful                                                   used in the industrial sector
                                                                                                                     struggle ultimately bore fruit.                                             prior to releasing it.
                                                                                                                     The NGT ordered the shut-                                                     KEM targets Aegis
      NAME CHANGE CHANGES                                 STATUE OF UNITY AT                                         down of the two companies                                                   Chemical Solutions Com-
      NOTHING ON THE GROUND                               WHOSE COST?                                                sometime back this year. The                                                pany for bronchi-respiratory
      Changing the names of                               The statue of freedom                                      companies’ shutdown would                                                   disorders!
      places seems to be aimed                            fighter Patel, failed to                                   bring the noxious emissions                                                   The KEM hospital has
      at distracting public                               unite the population of                                    to end. Ironically, the order                                               conducted ‘Respiratory
      attention from                                      Adivasi farmers and                                        is received by them but not                        eye-inflammation, kidney   mobility survey’ in Mahul and
                                                                                                                     implemented yet.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Ambapada areas and found
      the ground realities                                tribal villagers, who                                        The residents of the two   • Costly win  Legal struggle costs   disease, cardiovascular   that many people suffer from
                                                                                                                                              the two localities `4.5 crore
      turning horrifying, writes                          had to sacrifice their                                     localities have coughed-up                         disorder, paralysis, abortion,   chest pain and breathing
      Humra Quraishi                                      everything for it, report                                  almost `4.5 crore during this                      etc. and these are constantly   trouble.
                                                          by Tehelka Bureau                                          10 year-long legal struggle.   these gasses smelt like rotten   on the rise.
                                                                                                                     Undergoing extreme finan-  eggs. Every day, the company   “We had complained to   Survey in Mahul
                                                                                                                     cial hardships, they had to   empties around 700 tankers   almost more than 26 differ-  ♦  67.1 percent of people com-
                                                                                                                     mortgage their houses, hotels   into these storage tanks. Prior  ent authorities but no one   plained about respiratory
                                                                                                                     and businesses in order to   to their fillings, the tanks are   addressed our problems.   inhalation
                                                                                                                     collect the money to fight the   cleaned before the chemical   Many residents have been   ♦  86.6 percent of peo-
                                                                                                                     court battle.            is stored every time. The Ni-  diagnosed with cancer since   ple complained of
                                   BITTER TRUTH OF WHITE                               RBI-CENTRAL GOVT ON             Aegis Chemical Solutions   trogen is used to clean these   the establishment of the   eye-inflammation
                                   REVOLUTION                                          COLLISION COURSE              came into existence in 2007   storage tanks; this Nitrogen   company. Around 50 deaths   ♦  84.5 percent of people
                                                                                                                     in Mahul locality of Mumbai
                                                                                                                                                                        were reported due to the air
                                                                                                                                                                                                   complained of pain in the
                                                                                                                                              causes many respiratory
                                   The White Revolution                                The Reserve Bank of           and flouting Pollution norms   disorders to the residents.  pollution in 2017,” Dayaram   chest
                                   was one of the biggest                              India and the Union           established 11 chemical stor-  Aegis Chemical Solutions   Mahulkar, Petitioner of
                                   dairy development                                   Government appear             age tanks in these high-den-  Company is located at the   Mahul-Ambapada Commit-  Survey in Ambapada
                                   movements in India                                  to be on a collision          sity population areas adjoin-  rear side of the residen-  tee said. Along with him, the   ♦  66.5 percent of people
                                   in 1970. What is the                                course if developments        ing Mahul and Ambapada.  tial colony. The poisonous   petition was filed against the   complained about Phlegm
                                                                                                                       About 36 types of noxious
                                   dark side of White                                  of recent days are any        chemicals are filled in these   impact of air pollution is so   company by Charudutt Koli,   ♦  61.3 percent complained of
                                                                                                                                              intense that the women in
                                                                                                                                                                                                   eye-inflammation
                                                                                                                                                                        Mohan Mhatre and Dattaram
                                   Revolution? An                                      indication, report by         tanks every day. The residents  this locality have been get-  Koli.         ♦  51.4 percent people com-
                                   analysis by Suman                                   Tehelka Bureau                suffer breathing and other   ting menstrual cycle twice                       plained of pain in the chest
                                   and YK Kalia                                                                      health-related problems due   a month. Many among the   Fish population dwindled   ♦  53.3 percent people com-
                                                                                                                     to the air pollution caused   20 thousand populations   due to pollution      plained of cough and cold
                                                                                                                     by these chemicals. Besides   in the two localities suffer   The sea water isn’t spared
                                                                                                                     being spurious to health,   from multiple skin disorders,   either. After cleaning the   LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM
                                      TEHELKA / 30 NOVEMBER 2018  8  WWW.TEHELKA.COM                                                                  TEHELKA / 30 NOVEMBER 2018  9  WWW.TEHELKA.COM


   8 Social Media1.indd   2                                                                       11/16/2018   10:31:58 AM  9 Manmohan Singh Naula.indd   3                                                       11/15/2018   4:33:56 PM
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